Get out the handkerchiefs. "Susanna" (1968), from director Ho Meng Hua ("The Flying Guillotine"), is coming soon to a theater--home theater--near you. Li Ching is Lin Shen Shen/Susanna: she's an ego-driven, selfish, condescending young schoolgirl. She's even willing to seduce and steal the boyfriend of her shy, introverted sister, Lin Xiao Ting (Allison Chang Yen). However, after a painful series of seizures, Susanna finds out that she has cancer...and about eight months left to live! She makes an oath to right her wrongs with every remaining moment of her life. However, redeeming herself will be easier said than done.

I liked "Susanna" a lot more than I had expected beforehand. Even though it becomes increasingly harrowing and downbeat as it progresses, it was still well-made. Then again, there are some inherent flaws. There's a scene where Susanna conveniently has a seizure in front of a doctor's office on her way to the cineplex. What are the odds of that? There may be a reference to Linda Lin Dai's suicide in the film (Lin Dai's suicide was still a current event when "Susanna" was made). In a school play, Susanna portrays a dying woman with a name similar to Lin Dai's. There are also scenes where Susanna almost overdoses on pills, but each time, she finds a reason to stop herself. As usual, it's a joy seeing the lovely Li Ching act in one of her better films.

I hope that the real "Baby Queen" Li Ching is willing to do an interview or something for a Celestial/Shaw DVD while she still lives. If one enjoys well-crafted "weepie" melodrama, "Susanna" is recommended.