Chinese Box
Chinese Box ★★½ 1997
Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule is the backdrop for Wang's story of a dying British journalist (Irons) and a former bar girl turned nightclub owner (Li). In the months before the 1997 handover, business writer John learns he is dying of leukemia and decides to pursue Vivian, the woman he has secretly loved for some time. He also sets out to discover the “meaning” of Hong Kong itself. This quest is personified by Jean (Cheung), a street hustler with stories to tell. Metaphors abound as Wang tries to convey the everyday chaos and impenetrability of Hong Kong life. Striking visuals provide cues and clues to the not-always-subtle symbolism. Mandarin and English dialogue. 109m/C VHS, DVD . FR JP Jeremy Irons, Gong Li, Maggie Cheung, Ruben Blades, Michael Hui; D: Wayne Wang; W: Wayne Wang, Jean-Claude Carriere, Larry Gross, Paul Theroux; C: Vilko Filac; M: Graeme Revell.