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Shadow
Chinese: 幽靈情書
Stephen Fung and Bobo Chan
Year: 2001
Director: Lo Kim-Wah
Producer: Wong Jing
Writer: Felix Chong Man-Keung
Cast: Stephen Fung Tak-Lun, Bobo Chan Man-Woon, Sammul Chan Kin-Fung, Edmond So Chi-Wai, Derek Tsang Kwok-Cheung, Isabel Chan Yat-Ning, Lam Chi-Ho, Bonnie Wong Man-Wai, Matthew Chow Hoi-Kwong
The Skinny: A fluffy horror-romance for teenage girls that makes for a harmless but totally unnecessary diversion.
 
Review
by Kozo:

StarEast pushes a few of its emerging young idols with this fluffy romantic horror film from the director of Sunshine Cops and Marooned. Stephen Fung is Lun, a bodysurfing layabout who bums around the beach with his two buddies (Samuel Chan and Derek Tsang). When he spies his old high school crush Siu Yuet (Bobo Chan), he decides to find her to resolve his old high school feelings. The three find Siu Yuet through Fanny (Isabella Chan), who reveals that Siu Yuet is dead. 

Siu Yuet apparently went insane after a high school encounter with Lun (a laughable incident involving mistaken personalities and torn clothing) and committed suicide, wishing eternal damnation upon her tormenter/suitor. Lun resolves to solve their conflict by appeasing her dead spirit, but things spiral out of control to sometimes surprising effect.

Nothing occurs here which hasn't been seen before, though the entire production is mounted with some measure of proficiency. The few surprising twists the film provides hint at an even darker storyline, but as usual the commercial machine that is StarEast steers everything towards a righteous conclusion. Marketing dictates that the leads be likable, even if it reduces the film to a completely contrived piece of Yes! fiction. 

As cheesy teen idol worship, this inconsequential fluff piece delivers the goods wholeheartedly. The performers certainly are attractive. Stephen Fung makes an effectively earnest romantic idol and Bobo Chan is lovely and photogenic. They make great scenery next to every telegraphed contrivance and cloying emotion. If we're supposed to buy that this cynicism-free romantic chiller carries real weight then the filmmakers failed miserably, but for ninety minutes this can be a fluffy diversion. It helps if you're fourteen, though. (Kozo 2002)

 
Availability: DVD (Hong Kong)
Region 0 NTSC
Deltamac
Widescreen
Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks
Dolby Digital 5.1
Removable English and Chinese Subtitles

image courtesy of Deltamac Co., Ltd.

   
 
 
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