Waste of time

Undescribable Perfection

How sad is this?

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

On the plus side, the acting was good, and the film created some lovely moods within a number of scenes, though these were mostly cut short just when getting good.On the minus side, the story-telling was disjointed for no apparent artistic purpose, and spent too much time on details that didn't add to the story, and not enough time on details that would. The two main characters seemed to have much more to say. They expressed much love for each other at various times, yet we barely get to see where this love comes from, or why they are endlessly drawn to each other. So much potential wasted here -- tell us more about them! Taken on its own, this film is a moderate romantic drama, giving us small slices of life, and nicely detailed. Taken as a gay romance, however, I have to say *ugh*. Why must so many gay romance films end with the love interest dying? Or end with one character realizing they're unable to express that part of themselves? This film came perilously close to fulfilling both of these, instead of just one.It would be wonderful if gay romances could end on a positive note more often. This is so infrequent in this genre that its as if displaying such a positive ending would be somehow unrealistic. And maybe this is an indication of how a gay romance is perceived in our current world. I look forward to a time when gay romance can be something happy and expected.

I expected something tepid and tormented, like "East Palace West Palace" and instead found a wonderful drama about the China of the 80s and 90s.A successful businessman sees, at a fancy party, a young man brought to the party by another attendee. He and a co-worker decide to pounce: they take him (Lan Yu) out and treat him royally. The young man winds up staying with the businessman, who gives him money, but is ambivalent about whether he wants to see Lan Yu again. He feels that he can have relationships and remain unattached.Lan Yu shows up periodically over the course of years, and the businessman gives him larger and larger gifts, including a fancy house in the suburbs. But the businessman meets a woman who translates for him in a deal he's making with Russians. He decides to marry the woman. Lan Yu will not put up with it and refuses to see the businessman.The businessman's shady deals get him into trouble, and he loses almost everything. Then Lan Yu comes back into the picture and . . . (I'll leave it there).Besides being a wonderful melodrama, this is also a hot gay film. Full frontal and dorsal nudity, some sex. The men are hairless and sexy, but real. Lots of kissing. And all the time you're wondering: did they actually film this in China? Do they allow this in China? How did they get away with this....It must have been filmed in Hong Kong. Well, according to the Sundance website, this was filmed in China, and based on a short story that appeared only on the Internet.It's by far my favorite Chinese movie, and if you're interested in gay life in the new China, this is the one to see.

I went to see "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" with a young Chinese man who said to me, as if I didn't know this, "Of course it has a tragic ending. It's Chinese!" That awakening, plus seeing the movie in a Chinese filled theatre, taught me something. I rented "Lan Yu" expecting a Chinese movie. I didn't get one. There were no intense cultural overtones, just references. Mao, Tiannimen Square, Russians, yes. The matriarch's New Year's dinner was the closest thing to Chinese culture. But, of course, Beijing and Hong Kong are cosmopolitan. The plot even makes fun of Lan Yu being thrust into the city from the country.I put this movie in the category of "Parting Glances," "Steam," and "Love, Valor, Compassion," definitely not "Philadelphia." That's a high compliment for me. I've seen boring, "go for the audience impact" Gay movies. This isn't one, thank goodness. It's a love story with the complexity of approach/avoidance conflict, embraced by friends who are straight, even though the story is about Gay love. And it's about one-sided love, growing love, fearing the loss of love, committment anxiety, and all that, the same as in straight relationships. It has acceptance and tolerance and is totally devoid of sneers from the homophobic thrown in to thicken the plot.The character development is a little sparse, but actually we learn about them quickly. There's no long wind up. Skillful! The character depth is what grows. Lan Yu grows. His lover doesn't, until it's too late.The direction and photography were subtly superb. I didn't catch on until far into the film how good the photography was and placement of the characters. The acting was excellent -- or was it their direction?How interesting that the clearly more submissive character is the stronger one.Did those who hated this movie notice all of that, or are they jaded? I wouldn't like to be at a play or movie with them.Wonderful movie. I cried. I laughed. I'm still feeling it. Very few movies do that to me.

Lan Yu is a very touching movie. It is a tragic love story between two men, one businessman and a university student. In the film, the businessman tried to become heterosexual by marrying a girl that she hope she can love, but in the end it did not work. They divorced, and he went back to Lan Yu, the university student. However, Lan Yu soon died afterwards in an accident.For me, I feel that the film is very emotional. The feelings of the characters in the film can be conveyed to the spectators. When the businessman was arrested, Lan Yu went to help him straight away. It showed the love and care between the two people. When Lan Yu died just after the businessman was released from jail, the businessman was very upset. I think that the spectators can also feel the sadness. In the end of the film they played the Mandarin song "how can you let me feel sad" in its entirety. I think this is very effective in communicating the sorrow of the businessman. The lyrics suited the situation completely.However, I think that the film can be made a little longer. I think that they should explain some more details about their lives, such as how unhappy the businessman was when he was married, and how he missed Lan Yu. How Lan Yu obtained 3 million Yuan can also be explained in more detail. Why Lan Yu died can also be elaborated.In summary, I think this film is a very good film, and can make people understand that homosexuals are also normal people.