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Review by
Calvin
McMillin: |
Long
before Wong Kar-Wai became the darling of the intelligentsia,
he worked as a writer in the Hong Kong film industry,
hammering out such lowbrow fare as The Intellectual
Trio and Haunted Cop Shop—hardly the
pedigree for a soon-to-be world renowned auteur. The
director's first film, 1988's As Tears Go By
changed all that, putting Wong Kar-Wai on the map
as both a critically and commercially (at first anyway)
successful filmmaker. As Tears Go By is an
interesting film to watch in light of all the work
that would come later. To see the director experiment
with techniques and themes that would later become
a part of his signature style is definitely a sight
to behold.
Of all of Wong Kar-Wai's films,
As Tears Go By is probably the most straightforwardly
commercial; it is a genre picture after all. The story
revolves around Wah (Andy Lau), a young triad steeped
in problems when the film begins. Early on, he learns
that his longtime girlfriend had an abortion without
his knowledge, a revelation that shakes Wah to his
very core. If that weren't bad enough, he's a "big
brother" to Fly (Jacky Cheung), a hotheaded,
inept gangster wannabe, who with every attempt to
prove himself, only earns himself more trouble than
he can handle. Fly's problems quickly become Wah's
problems, as our hero has to step in and bail out
his "little brother" on numerous occasions.
Things start to pick up soon
after Ngor (Maggie Cheung), Wah's ailing cousin from
Lantau Island, comes to live with him. The reason?
She's got a malfunctioning lung and must receive medical
treatment in Hong Kong. There's a particularly sweet,
quiet moment between Ngor and Wah that is soon interrupted
by Fly, as he brings the realities of triad life—quite
literally—to Wah's doorstep, a metaphor that
repeats itself in various ways as the film progresses.
As one would expect, a romance
of sorts begins to develop between Wah and Ngor, but
nothing comes of it until Wah decides to leave Hong
Kong for Lantau Island and seek out his true love.
Set to a Chinese version of "Take My Breath Away,"
the sequence sees Wah finally reuniting with Ngor.
Although this ode to Top Gun amounts to borderline
cheese (Elvis's "Kissin' Cousins" must have
been deemed inappropriate), the scene somehow works
thanks to Wong's brilliant pacing. Even better, the
director subverts expectations for the scene's outcome,
denying the viewers the moment that they truly want
to see happen. There's a really nice moment when Wah
says what seems to be a throwaway romantic line, only
to have the full implications revealed later in a
private moment away from Ngor. The romantic gesture
goes unseen and unappreciated by Ngor...or does it?
Wong isn't finished yet—his denial of convention
is soon revealed to be nothing but a strategic delay.
The audience gets what they want in a scene that culminates
into what can only be called, "The Kiss."
But just when Wah's found
bliss with Ngor, he learns that Fly has run afoul
of fellow Triad, Tony (Alex Man), a man who would
like nothing more than to swat the bothersome Fly
out of existence. From the early going, it's apparent
that Fly and Tony are on a collision course with Wah
caught in the middle. Sure, it's going to end badly,
but this is a movie about the how's and the why's
involved.
Wong Kar-Wai's trademark
style was in its formative stages in As Tears Go
By, but the film is still full of atmospheric
and visually inventive moments. One of the most notable
examples is a chase sequence through a seemingly never-ending
pool hall that spills out onto the city streets in
jerky, cinema verite style. Also, in one of the most
artistic sequences in the film, there's a static shot
of steam rising from a kind of underworld that precedes
the scene in which Wah is plunged headlong into a
reddish, hellish environment to seek revenge against
Fly's enemies. Here, Wong Kar-Wai employs his patented
slow motion and step-framing techniques in what quickly
becomes a hyperkinetic—yet highly artistic—action
sequence choreographed by Stephen Tung Wai.
It's easy to see what's Wong
Kar-Wai-ish in the film: the seemingly unrelated footage
of trees swaying in the wind, the curious tracking
shots, and a brief glimpse of Maggie Cheung lounging
with a paper airplane in hand all seem like raw prototypes
for the kinds of images, techniques, and tropes that
Wong would revisit in successive pictures. Credit
must go to his cinematographer, Andrew Lau, who would
go on to direct such diverse fare as Infernal Affairs and The Wesley's Mysterious File. But that
isn't to say that the film is beautiful from start
to finish; there are loads of shots in the film that
look like cheap Hong Kong cinema circa 1988, but even
so, art wins out—there are some sequences that
just pop with energy, all building to the dream-like
finale.
But As Tears Go By does not succeed or fail on Wong Kar-Wai alone; a
large part of its success as a film has to result
from its actors. Andy Lau does a good job anchoring
the film as the sympathetic male lead. Sure, his motivations
for staying loyal to Fly are unexamined and paper
thin, but Lau does a good job in convincing the audience
that unerring loyalty really is that simple. And although
Maggie Cheung's performance is of the thankless "flower
vase" variety for two-thirds of the film, her
range as an actress becomes more apparent, especially
as her character falls for Wah. At one point, when
the two lovers part, the camera lingers on Cheung,
as she slowly begins to cry. It's a heartbreaking
moment for Maggie Cheung's character that's hard to
capture in words, but it's a hell of a performance.
When seen within the context of her work in Wong's
later films, Maggie Cheung's acting seems like the
beginning of something wonderful.
Then there's Jacky
Cheung, who gives a fantastic portrayal of Fly, a
tricky part since the audience feels like they should
dislike him for the harm he causes the protagonist.
Yet he is somehow able to engender feelings of compassion
and understanding amongst the audience, transforming
Fly into a tragic figure that one inevitably roots
for to finally experience a real moment of triumph.
He's a character who could have been one-note (and
seemed to be headed in that direction in the early
going of the film), but is instead given real depth
and motivation. It's no wonder Jacky Cheung took home
a Best Supporting Actor award at that year's Hong
Kong Film Awards.
Unlike some of Wong
Kar-Wai's other films, filmgoers will have a better
time answering the question, "What's it all about?"
As Tears Go By is easily one of his most straightforward
films with a genre-specific plot few would have trouble
recognizing or understanding. Ultimately, As Tears
Go By seems to be about the futility of triad
life and the folly of trying to rise up the ranks
in the desire for some kind of name recognition. Characters
seem to gain the momentary upper hand, but the film
suggests that this glorious feeling of achievement
is merely a false high which only leads to further
degradation and marginalization within the triad society.
Breaking the self-destructive cycle of violence and
reprisal associated with triad life may be a tall
feat to accomplish, but at least Wong Kar-Wai gives
us something to chew on in this sometimes stylish,
sometimes raw debut film. (Calvin McMillin 2004) |
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