Isabella Review

Macau, 1999. It's the summer before Macau returns to Chinese control after centuries of Portugese rule and Shing's life is in a shambles. A cop under suspension for corruption Shing is toying with the idea of having a key prosecution witness killed. Though he has enough cash to wear a Rolex his apartment is a run down shambles, his fridge always empty, his social life an endless succession of one night stands and cheap, possibly underage, hookers. It doesn't appear that Shing's life could get much lower until one night the daughter he never knew he had, the child he believed was aborted when he was just seventeen, decides to introduce herself by smashing a bottle over his head. And so Shing meets Yan, the daughter of his high school girlfriend. Yan's mother has recently died of lung cancer and she has been locked out of her apartment for not paying her rent, leaving the teen aged girl penniless and homeless. Thrust together by fate these two strangers are forced into a new way of life.

Over the course of five films director Pang Ho-Cheung has quietly carved out a niche for himself as one of Hong Kong's brightest and most distinctive directors and while his earlier works are known more for their sly sense of humor with Isabella he proves he is just as able to build his films around serious character work. Helping greatly to that end are his two lead actors. Long time collaborator and acclaimed character actor Chapman To steps into his first leading role here as Ching -- To also produced the film -- and plays the part with subtlety and grace. Shing is a character that could easily be despised but To finds his human heart, gradually revealing a broken man coming to realize that his life has been dominated by one very bad decision made in his youth. As for model turned pop starlet Isabella Leong, she turns in a remarkable performance, one that should guarantee that she never has to appear in mindless teen flicks like The Eye 10 ever again unless she is possessed by some strange, burning desire to. Though Derek Tsang is entirely too bland as Yan's would-be boyfriend, the rest of the supporting cast is excellent, particularly Anthony Wong's stellar, hilarious bit as Shing's food obsessed, constantly talking friend and fellow dirty cop. Wong's screen time is minimal but he makes the most of it, creating one of the more memorable characters of his career.

While 1999 seems a little too recent to term the setting nostalgic there is no denying that Pang's film is filled with the same sense of memory and longing that marks Wong Kar Wai's Shanghai or Hou Hsiao-Hsien's Taiwan. Cinematographer Charlie Lam shoots gorgeous film, filling the streets of Macau with a warm amber glow and composing his shots to perfection. Lam, like Pang, is still young and building a name for himself but he shows every sign that he could develop into a very significant player.

The just released DVD features an excellent anamorphic transfer and very good subtitling. Somewhat disappointing is the fact that while the two disc set is loaded with features the only to include an English option are the written cast and staff profiles, which are well worth reading and loaded with information that help contextualize the film -- particularly if you need a quick primer on Macau's history.

Whatever the reason may be Pang has yet to really travel outside Hong Kong, but signs are good that this may be beginning to change with this quiet little gem picking up a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. But whether the masses discover Pang or not there is no reason for you to miss out. Seek this one out.