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Price:US$7.95
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A slow and emotionally unsatisfying movie, "18 Springs" has the look and feel of a pop novel translated to the big screen sans any real dramatic punch. The result is soap opera minus the soap or the opera. This is the kind of film that was designated a 'woman's film' (or 'weepie') in the '30s or '40s. The main character had to undergo various and sundry crises in order to snag her man by the last reel. Unfortunately '18 Springs' has no central character to relate to and no happy ending. Ng Sin Lin plays the pivotal role of the younger sister who tries for happiness but seems apparently doomed by her station in society (i.e.: not rich, youngest child and female). Anita Mui is her older sister who, in order to support the family, takes the job of 'hostess'. Both characters are played with almost a deadpan facial & vocal expression. This matches up just fine with Leon Lai's totally blank performance as the boyfriend who doesn't have the dynamism to propel his life in the direction he wants it to go. It's a role that calls for subtlety and nuance, but Lai delivers only awkwardness. He plays basically the same character he played in "Comrades: Almost A Love Story", but instead of being carried by the stronger Maggie Cheung, he flounders alone in his attempts to portray an ineffectual character. The production credits are topnotch, looking as good as any Tsui Hark or Wong Kar Wai effort. Set in the Nanjing in the '30s, the film makes little use of the location or era - the events could just have easily taken place 30 or 40 years later in almost any part of the world.
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