Spider Lilies
Ciqing (Taiwan)
The Third Vision Film production, in association with Great Domain
Prods. (International sales: Three Dots Entertainment, Taipei.)
Produced by Liu Yun-hou. Executive producer, Jeff Wang.
Directed, written by Zero Chou (Chou Mei-ling).
With: Rainie Yang, Isabella Leong, Shen Jian-hung, Kris Shie, Shih Yuen-chieh.
Two young women reawaken a dormant love for each other in "Spider
Lilies," a relative leap into the bigtime for Taiwanese documaker and
lesbian filmer Zero Chou, here using two name leads for the first time.
Alas, Chou's scripting abilities and her weakness for dreamy whimsy
show only a marginal concomitant upgrade, making this one strictly for
the faithful.
Striking, Macau-born Isabella Leong ("Isabella,"
"Diary") plays half-Japanese Takeko, aka Bamboo, owner of a Taipei
tattoo parlor that's visited by cutesy teenager Jade (Taiwanese
singer-TV thesp Rainie Yang). Jade wants a spider-lily tattoo like one
on Takeko's wall (and arm) but latter is mysteriously reticent.
Visiting Jade's Web site, Takeko finds she's actually a cybersex webcam
girl; what she doesn't realize initially is they knew each other 10
years ago, when Jade, then 9 years old, had a crush on her. Mixing
innocence and sexuality, countryside flashbacks are pic's best parts;
rest is largely Jade teasing her webcam, Takeko struggling with sundry
guilt, and an amateurish subplot about a shy Internet cop (Kris Shie).
Leong carries herself with dignity but pic is thin, often awkward fare.
Original title means "Tattoo."
Camera (color), Hoho Liu; editor, Hsiao Ju-kuan; music, Huang
Chien-hsun, Chang Chien-yu; art director, Weng Guei-bang. Reviewed at
Berlin Film Festival (Panorama), Feb. 14, 2007. Mandarin, Japanese
dialogue. Running time: 94 MIN.
© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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