"You're youths, stand over there and I'll make sure focus is correct. Rest is automatic!" If it at boiled down to being that easy but writer/director Matthew Tang (also writer of Jacob Cheung's excellent The Kid) debuts with belief. Belief that popstars can be immersed into a youth drama but mostly a belief that you can be intelligent about issues of the young. Although Tang loses some of his focus in the he's creating subtlety and final sentiments, b420 is an assured feature debut.

Much spoken of comes down to pursuit, happiness, choices and the age level of 20 seems to represent a critical turning point for the Macau based characters. Now out of school and out of touch with her friends, Miki Yeung's Koey even proclaims on camera for the website b420.com that she'll handle her development as each day goes by. Is that a correct choice or is she one endlessly wandering without that pesky pursuit, happiness thing brewing? Within wonderfully shot surroundings in Macau, the bubbly Koey easily turns gloomy, back to bubbly and even seems damn manipulative in a way that could easily mean hurt towards those infatuated with her. Simon of course lives a lie but Koey's main interest Willy is already torn so why isn't she more careful about the tugging back and forth she sends him on? Much hidden and gradually revealed in Matthew Tang's slow burner of a movie definitely is about Koey's inability to handle emotions the expected way and her constant photography means creating a family of friends when her actual is not near her anymore.

What is in store for any of these youth characters then? Tang keeps quiet after establishing Willy's depression due to losing his girlfriend and probably leading a life devoid of choices. Simon fights to erase his homosexuality status in the eyes of his family while continuing on his deception towards Koey. A simple crush or obsession? More hints are injected by Tang and a lot more unpredictability as themes will continue on throughout but take sharp narrative turns that probably are too ambitious. Mood is gravely changed towards the end but there's overall quite a lovely cinematic take on matters. Choosing obvious stylistic "treats" such as silent movie style flashbacks but also visualizing the world of ICQ or MSN chatting, in Tang breeds confidence to make these excursions vital and again throughout there's no definite questions answered until late or rather unconventionally answered. We're happy to be entertained by the pretty technical bits too, knowing full well there's a purpose waiting to be answered.

It's a bit questionable but choices are bold enough for us to stand up and take notice of the filmmaker that also gets his actors Miki Yeung, Sam Lee and Ben Hung immersed into his Macau movie world without making a star of either of them. I'll take immersed to a fine degree and it's not a compromise. Perhaps Tang will look back at b420 and make the trip to some other age level again because clearly he has the train of thoughts that are definitely connected to the twentysomething's AND even the older as well (who plays a part of mirroring the youth). Perhaps ultimately it is pretty correct to make your choices by the time you feel you should make them but in the meantime, don't deny being. Hopefully Matthew Tang will carry on being and erupt more distinctly on the Hong Kong scene because there's always a need for an intelligence, even if not commercially distinctive intelligence.

Vagarious teen Koey (Miki Yeung) leaves a simple life in Macau with her eccentric grandmother. Having seen her parents emigrate, Koey has learned how to be independent while still having little clue as to what direction to take in life. Though she's meant to be attending college, Koey spends her time working as a promoter on the streets of her island and, in doing so, meets troubled motorcycle rebel Willy. Despite some friction between the two initially, both start spending time together as friends and manage to fill their respective loneliness with trips to the cinema. Also observing Koey is shy youth Sam who communicates with her in a chatroom by using a female nom-de-plume though he secretly harbours a crush on her. This bizarre trio waste their time on hare-brained schemes as they amble through their rudderless lives, but each of them have deeper issues bumbling under the surface.

Using an exotic Macau setting proves to be the primary masterstroke for Matthew Tang. Instead of the usual crowded Hong Kong metropolis, Macau offers a semi-tropical alternative with the colonial buildings left behind by Portuguese rule offering a pleasant backdrop to a routine narrative. The inviting vistas also appear a more original addition than the oft-seen subject matter and the sometimes self-conscious style used. As previously mentioned, the actual storyline need not be a barrier to cinematic success, but the way it is presented is uninvolving and needlessly so.

The characterisation lies at the heart of 'B420's problems. The shallow, flighty 'heroine' is a character we've seen too often before and her eccentricities never seem anything other than just tired devices used by a writer in need of something more tangible. Koey floats through much of the film like she's received a meaty blow to the head, wistfully playing people off against one another and all with a frustrating 'hippy chick cool' surrounding her every move. In the last half hour, Tang begins to reveal the reasons for his protagonist's foibles, but by this point such explanations do little to stir the interest once again.

'B420' moves from a potentially arresting low-key beginning to a middle section that throws together predictable sub-plots, then Matthew Tang switches to a thriller for the final twenty minutes. It is in this section that the story and the characters reach the peak of their interest and attain a certain maturity absent from much of the earlier part of the film. With a new antagonist and a tension created, the three leads are given more to do and are allowed to move beyond their very stringent stereotypes. It also displays some of the virtues that could help Matthew Tang develop into a significant director in the future; Tang knows how to film in a low-key way which, though looking slightly self-conscious early on, gives the final twenty minutes a fresh vibrancy. The conclusion also has that air of unpredictability that Hong Kong has so often revelled in - events do not necessarily turn out as is expected and this is a fact that always bubbles under the surface. If Tang can capitalise on these strengths and avoid the usual trappings of a pseudo-arthouse wannabe, there will be some interesting features to look forward to in the future.