| Love Paradox is an interesting look at relationships though I'm not sure what they were trying to say. First up we have Sau, played by the adorable Grace Yip; she's a dancer with no self confidence but with a very handsome boyfriend named Denver, played by Andrew Lin. Then we have Fong Fong (Annie Wu) who lives with her boyfriend, Chai (Roger Fung) - they've been having sexual problems, that is, he's no longer stimulated by her but instead finds himself intrigued by their new neighbor, Sean (Perry Chui) who's also an escort. When the film starts, Sau is auditioning as a dancer but loses the job so she begins to badger Denver to marry her so she doesn't end up 'an old granny collecting tin cans' (alas, like so many of her generation - Martin). After some thought, he does propose and Sau begins making all the plans, including moving into Fong Fong's apartment building. On the morning of their wedding, Sau finds that Denver has met an old flame before coming home and questions him about it. Denver is outraged that she doesn't trust him so he stalks out and doesn't come back.
Sau retreats into drinking beer and eating nothing but soup. She finally decides to write her fiancé's ex-lover, challenging her to a duel but gets a big shock when the person who shows up isn't what she expected at all. Here the Love Paradox got interesting but odd-Denver's ex, Michel, turns out to be a man! Not only that but he's also played by Andrew Lin! It's an interesting, if stereotyped performance-very camp and mincing. They end up bonding over their heartbreak with Denver and Michel ends up moving in and helping Sau with her self-confidence. Meanwhile, Chai finds himself getting a bit obsessed with Sean, from the fancy cars that occupy her parking space to the Japanese dancing she does in front of the window. Poor Fong Fong is completely unaware of her boyfriend's disloyalty. Sean has a sad story of her own, stemming from love and heartbreak, and envies Fong Fong's relationship.
Did I enjoy Love Paradox? Yes, but I do have some problems- first of all, the women. Is there a law that says when you're young and cute in Asian films, you are a bit of a brat? Sau and Fong Fong are like children, demanding to be taken care of or demanding sex and I felt sort of bad for Denver & Chai. Then again, I felt for Fong Fong, blindly trusting in Chai. Sean was the most mature and confident in her business and personal lives. My other problem was the Michel character, while they first presented him as mincing and gay, he ends up admitting that Denver was the only man he'd ever been with then ends up falling for Sau! Was this the paradox of love? Were the filmmakers uncomfortable leaving him & Sau as close friends? But those are my only real complaints-the cast was very good, particularly Grace, Perry and Andrew. Like I said, it's an interesting look at love & relationships, particularly with the voice-over at the end. I'd give it a recommendation despite my quibbles. |
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