DAYS OF TOMORROW

Starring: Andy Lau, Lau Kam Ling, Carrie Ng, Deanie Yip, Lai Yiu Cheung, Ken Chan

Ah Yan has been hired as a researcher for a remake of a classic old film "Days of Tomorrow", and in her research she realises that the star of that film, Fong Tak Shing (Andy Lau), was her real father. Before then, Yan had not known her father, nor her mother, as she was brought up by her parents' friend, Ah Sheng.

In her quest to find out more about her father, she discovers to her horror that her father had been a figure of deep tragedy. Frequent flashbacks to the sixties tells the life of Fong Tak Shing, a lonely womaniser whose good looks attracted no end of gullible girls. But the one person he truly loved was Ling (Lau Kam Ling), the daughter of a little restaurant owner. Both of them lived in Tiu Keng Leng, one of the backwaters of Hong Kong, and both hoped for a better life in the commercial centres of central Hong Kong.

Fong heads out to Kowloon and whilst working in a nightclub attracts the attention of big star Nancy (Carrie Ng) who gives him work in the film business. Meanwhile, Ah Ling runs away from home, only to be picked up by media mogul Mr Lui, who takes her into his home and adopts her as his god-daughter. He promises her to let her star in his latest film "Days of Tomorrow". Little does she know that the male star is none other than Fong, whom she secretly was in love with for many years.

Reunited, they give in to their emotions, and the result is Ah Yan. But Mr Lui is livid, and orders the death of Fong. Ling tries to rescue him, but when she sees the lifeless body of Fong, she commits suicide by throwing herself off a building.

Days of Tomorrow is a beautifully crafted tragic story, and the performances are spot on. Even the recreation of Sixties Hong Kong has been dealt with in a subtle way, with most of the scenery and costumes right for the time. My only complaint is that the film tends to drag at times, and the plot runs very tediously. There are few action scenes to liven things up, and most of the time, the main stars simply stare and frown at each other - without much usage of dialogue. Sometimes, you'd think they had tried to copy Wong Kar Wai, but Wong has a knack for filming arty films. Unfortunately for this film, it doesn't really clicks.

Although the performances were great, I thought the chemistry between Fong and Ling was a bit dull, they just didn't seem like the star-crossed lovers they were meant to be. Nonetheless, the film makes up for its bad parts by being genuinely sad all the way through. Not a classic, but enjoyable, in a melancholic way.

RATING

7 / 10