While billed as a directorial feature by Riley Ip, this gorgeous looking romance belies the imprint of erstwhile cinematographer $$ID=Yee Chung Man$$ (who serves as Producer here), with its splendid visuals reminiscent of his own "&&ID=V3254||Name=And I Hate You So&&" and "&&ID=V1030||Name=Anna Magdalena&&" and what goes a further step towards his penchant for Nora Ephron flicks. Indeed, this is a cross between a Tolstoy short story and the John Travolta vehicle "Michael" about an angel who falls to earth. Perhaps the most angelic looking of actors in the HK scene, screen idol $$ID=Takeshi Kaneshiro$$ plays Angel who crashes on a starry night into the rooftop terrace - remember it's HK here, so backyards are hard to come by - of Athena ($$ID=Kelly Chen$$ with full doe-eyed appeal). She is a heartbroken aromatherapist - recently bereaved of her SWAT team boyfriend who died in the line of duty- who retreats into her world of new age cures and becomes cynical about all else, most of all miracles including seraphs, cherubs and the like. She warily agrees to let him stay until his broken wings heal, in return for household chores and helping out at her little aromatherapy shop around the corner in Central, HK. But most of all, she wants him to bring some keepsakes to her beloved when he returns to heaven. He needs some TLC for his wings to mend, while she is too engrossed with her solitude to notice the cheery effects he brings into the lives of people around them. Bouncing around her normal route to work, along the Mid-Levels escalator, his joyful gait infectiously sends the feet of humdrum commuters into a tapping frenzy. Her clientele - mostly bored housewives are seemingly enthralled by his good nature and looks - and she slowly begins to be affected too.But in the meantime, starved of affection, he turns to seemingly strange earthly sources for nourishment. Under the influence of Athena's gay neighbour, Chow Chow (who apparently had a crush on her deceased boyfriend) played by $$ID=Eason Chan$$ really hamming it up in an Afro wig, he moonlights as a raunchy stripper at a club, develops a high on alcohol and a fetish for shoes. The latter gives one of the movie's most enchanting moments, with the help of CGI effects, where among a pile of chunky footwear belonging to Angel and now favoured by Athena herself, a pair of dainty Blahniky strappy sandals, now relegated to the nether regions, comes alive and dances amidst a sprinkling of angel dust. Other romantic scenes include Angel and Athena perched on the heights of a skyscraping construction crane with a moonlit view of HK, eventually stuck and with his wings to the rescue. The finale in billowing fields of titular lavender - Athena's fave scent, prettily shot, is a lush sight to behold. It is supposedly set in France but with the local folk speaking Italian and is reminiscent of Hollywood films shot with a gaelic charm such as "French Kiss". In its limited HK cinema release, this scene was filmed in odorama with the scent of lavender released during the scene. Kelly and Takeshi are attractive leads to the camera's loving gaze and acquit themselves well in their respective roles. Eason shines in a campy manner. But it is veteran Shaw Brothers swordplay actress $$ID=Cheng Pei Pei$$ (last seen in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") who drives the well-intentioned message of the film home, as a single middle-aged woman living in a pretend world who is wiser courtesy of the National Geographic channel and a love refrained, now in search of the scent of her youth. She advises Athena to appreciate the simple pleasures that are before her, hitherto unnoticed. Overall, a good-looking romance that will warm the cockles of your heart. Definitely date material guaranteed to create warm and fuzzy feelings. |
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