Eighteen Springs

Dir: Ann Hui

This is based on a novel by much loved author Eileen Chang, renowned for her profound observations and witty interpretations of modern romance. Her writings are adept at exposing the cynicism behind grand ideals and richly evocative of images, with a keen sense of locale that is Shanghai. Eighteen Springs is the tale of a factory worker's (Jacklyn Wu) eventful saga with her lover (Leon Lai) and her relationship with a morally and emotionally complicated sister (Anita Mui), which intertwine into a sad, heartbreaking comment of the times. This is one of three Shanghai stories by director Ann Hui, who obviously has a fixation for the city. She mounts Chang's sharply observed everyday details with quiet images, evoking the author's nuanced development of feelings, melancholic sense of loss and grave but subdued sadness.