R E V I E W

Glass Tears

Mei Ah | 2001 | 95 minutes
Directed by Carol Lai Miu Suet
Written by Carol Lai Miu Suet and Lui Hok Cheung

With Zeny Kwok, Lo Lieh, Chui Tien-You, Carrie Ng, Tats Lau

B A C K G R O U N D
director, in cinemas, recent and related films

Producer Joe Ma may be best known for youth-oriented comedies (Feel 100%), but his Brilliant Idea Group production company has also released a variety of films by the likes of Wilson Yip (Bio-Zombies, Bullets Over Summer, Juliet in Love). This is the debut feature by director Carol Lai Miu Suet. Her only previous film credit was co-writing the drama Her Judgment Day in 1993.

The film carries a 2000 copyright notice. It was featured at the Cannes Film Festival in spring 2001 and was released on DVD in early November 2001.

M O V I E

plot
15-year-old Cho has run away from home for the third time. Rather than reporting her disappearance to the police, which would result in Cho being taken out of the family home entirely, her parents enlist the assistance of Wu, a retired Mainland police officer now working as a guard on a small island. He quickly makes contact with a girl (called P by her friends) who claims that Cho owes her a substantial sum of money. Wu offers P the same amount of money if she will help him find Cho.

As the search for Cho continues, Wu and P spend time together and learn more about each other. P's friend Tofu joins them. Will they find Cho?

performances
Zeny Kwok acquits herself quite well as P. The role calls for her to remain glum and sullen much of the time, but also allows her to flash a radiant smile on occasion. Lo Lieh (an old school kung fu villain in some classic films from the 1970's) brings a commanding physical presence to his part as Wu; it seems that he accepts his de facto exile to a small island as the price he must pay for not understanding the modern world.

Carrie Ng Ka-Lai and Tats Lau play Cho's parents; the two make an uncomfortable but weirdly-matched pair. They appear to have little to talk about, yet manage to suggest depths of unexpressed emotions beneath their quiet exteriors. Rounding out the principal cast is Chui Tien-You as Tofu.

production
For a film that appears to say something important, Glass Tears is curiously devoid of substantial content. Are the characters P and Wu meant to be stand-ins for their respective generations? Or are they to be taken as representative of the uneasy relationship between Mainland China and Hong Kong? Director Carol Lai appears to hint in an interview that the story is about her life, but presumably the modern-day setting is also meant to reflect her concerns about present-day life. The relaxed pace of the story allows time to meditate on meatier subjects, but she and co-writer Lui Hok Cheung offer little incisive insight, commentary, or even propaganda.

Nevertheless, as a director Ms. Lai displays a competent eye for composition and tries to add variety to the tale through the creative use of flashbacks (she shared editing duties with Danny Pang). Although some of the effects are a bit self-conscious, the effort is welcome. Director of photography Tony Cheung Tung-Leung (Drunken Master II and Black Mask, as well as the more recent Sealed With a Kiss, Love au Zen, and Runaway), here allows the light to fall somewhat harshly on the older Lo Lieh and a bit more kindly on the younger Zeny Kwok. The musical score is credit to Oakey.

rating
No rating is listed on the disk or cover. The Mei Ah web site lists it as Category IIB. The rating is probably due to adult themes and situations; I didn't note any profanity, violence, or sexual matters.

D V D

look
The letterboxed presentation looks okay. The colors are not sharp or vibrant, nor are the black levels especially deep. In the past it has been a characterestic of many Mei Ah DVDs to display washed-out colors. Having said that, it's difficult to say if the muted color scheme was intentional on the part of the filmmakers or simply a result of the "Mei Ah effect."

sound
I listened to the DD 2.0 (stereo) Cantonese track, which included some Mandarin dialogue, and it sounded fine. The sound field extends beyond the front speakers. Also included is a DD 2.0 Mandarin version.

subtitles
The white removable English subtitles are easy to read (most of the time) and well timed. Ocasionally they disappear against lighter backgrounds. Also included are traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles.

Also included are traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles.

features
Nine chapters can be selected from a still frame menu. The "databank" consists of a synopsis and cast and crew listing. Click "footage" to access Cantonese-language interviews (no English subtitles) with director Carol Lai Miu Suet (about six minutes) and actress Zeny Kwok (about two minutes), as well as a "making of" (three minutes of behind-the-scenes footage) and "In Cannes 2001" (five minutes of random footage of the director and principal cast trooping through interviews and photo sessions at the film festival). The DVD is not time coded -- the running time is listed on the cover as 112 minutes, but I don't believe it's longer than 95 minutes.

R E C O M M E N D A T I O N
buy, rent, or pass?

Rent. Many of the elements are in place for a deep and affecting film, although the weakness of the script tends to mitigate good performances and thoughtful direction.

(Reviewed 12/04/01)

THIS DVD IS AVAILABLE AT HKFLIX.COM