Viva Erotica

A film director decides after several costly flops to make a porno film.
As in ”Ah Kam - The Stuntwoman”, ”Viva Erotica” takes place in Hong Kong's film world. However, instead of depicting the churning out of production line historical action dramas, we witness the consequences for the young ''autuer'' who, after several money losing films, is forced to direct an erotic, so called ''category III'' film. As in the west, this is a separate genre, a category of its own in places like Hong Kong and Japan, and isn't something one undertakes as a first option. The chance of then going over to other genres still exists, however, which would hardly be the case for any Bergman or Widerberg heir apparents who were forced into something similar.
The lead role is played by Leslie Cheung, a somewhat underrated actor with an innocent matinee idol kind of look, who has a background in both the fantasy genre (Ronnie Yu's ”The Bride With White Hair” ) as well as art house films (Chen Kaige's ”Farewell My Concubine” ). He brings the perfect balance of base resolve and artistic ambivalence to the role as the uncertain ''auteur''. Conflicts with the film's triad connected producer, whose mistress plays the female lead, smack of personal experience. Clever cuts between fantasy and dream shots, scenes on set, and interiors from the ''auteur's'' troubles with his jealous live-in mate makes ”Viva Erotica” remarkable in its genre. As in many productions that have come out of Hong Kong in recent years, there are many references to employment opportunities under Beijing rule and the emigration alternative, but unlike Hong Kong aficionado Quentin Tarantino and ”Pulp Fiction”, they don't content themselves with merely discussing the central role played by foot massage, they show it, too. Hardly an accident.

Premiärstatus
Nordisk premiär: Orig. titel
Sequing nannu: Medverkande
Leslie Cheung, Shu Qi, Karen Mok: Producent
Chuen Kar-Chung: Manus
Derek Yee: Foto
Jingle Ma: Musik
Clarence Hui Yuen: Talat språk
Cantonese with English/Chinese subtitles