Full Moon in New York

Dir: Stanley Kwan
Scrs: Zhong Acheng, Chiu Kang-chien 
Prod Co: Shiobu
Cast: Sylvia Chang, Maggie Cheung, Siqin Gaowa, Josephine Koo, Ko Yi-cheng
1990 | Colour | DCP | Cantonese, Mandarin & English | Chi & Eng Subtitles | 89 min

Full Moon in New York is a prized instance of three great actresses from the different industries of the Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan sharing the same screen, all three with an impressive award-winning record. Sil-Metropole invested in the film, about three women who meet by chance in the Big Apple. Siqin Gaowa plays a Mainland woman who moves to the US to marry her Chinese-American husband, struggling to fit in while clashing with her husband over repatriating her mother from the Mainland to live with them. Maggie Cheung is the manager of a Chinese restaurant who excels in her career and investments but is hopelessly lost in navigating her love life. Sylvia Chang plays an actress devoted to her art who finds her prospects constrained by racial prejudice. Despite their disparate backgrounds, cultures and life experiences, the three form a touching bond through their common sense of loneliness and displacement in a foreign land.

Director Stanley Kwan, renowned for delicate and intricate portrayals of female psychology, employs subtle, Asian aesthetic touches to tell the story. Gestures and expressions often say what words do not articulate, as in the many instances when Siqin Gaowa’s character speaks volumes of her pain and frustration by not talking. Pan Lai’s art direction takes inspiration from pencil sketching, creating greyscale images with colour photography. New York’s wintry fogginess serves not only as backdrop for the characters’ sense of alienation and detachment but also provides evocative contrast to the occasional dashes of red onscreen. Full Moon in New York garnered eight Golden Horse awards, including Best Feature Film, Best Leading Actress (Maggie Cheung), and Best Original Screenplay.

The contents of the programme do not represent the views of the presenter. The presenter reserves the right to change the programme should unavoidable circumstances make it necessary.