TATS QUIBLAT

Lust, Caution
Ang Lee
R-18 (Philippines - Approved without cuts.)


Six Reasons Why You Should Watch This Film

1. Ang Lee

Ang Lee has finally won me over. Sure 'The Ice Storm' and 'Sense and Sensibility' were wonderful films. Heck, even Brokeback Mountain almost won him an Oscar. But 'Hulk' and 'Ride With The Devil'?

So with his shaky, tentative, and only-as-good-as-his-last-film kind of resume, I went to watch Lust, Caution with, pardon the redundancy, lots of caution. And I must say, this is the Ang Lee definitive film. Forget about his past works. If you didn't believe in him telling his past stories, this film will turn you into an Ang Lee convert.

There have been numerous great reviews written for this film. Well, it won a Golden Lion in Venice. And the fact that the soi-disant film classification board MTRCB allowed it to be shown without cuts, that in itself should make you sprint to the cinema.

2. Tony Leung

Ahh, Tony Leung, the Actor's Actor. I mean, this actor's body of work, as opposed to Ang Lee's, is quite impressive at least with regard to the ones I've seen--In the Mood for Love, 2046, Cyclo, Dumplings, Happy Together, Hero, Infernal Affairs, Chungking Express. Wow.

In Lust, Caution, we are again treated to a Tony Leung entree. He appears onscreen and the whole film takes flight. He smiles, keeps quiet, explodes, gets naked, become murderous, become romantic, gets broken, and we are with him every single moment. Give this guy an Oscar already. Or better yet, a Lifetime Achievement Award.

3. Tang Wei

Tang Wei mesmerizes in this film. As young and as inexperienced as she is, her performance is a breakthrough. She should get an Oscar for her portrayal of a student turned activist turned spy mistress in this film. She becomes the role so much that when she makes her decision in the end, you may not agree with her but you understand where she is coming from. And you sympathize. (Just don't mind the hairs on her armpits. Gross.)

4. Espionage

This film deals with espionage in historical Shanghai. Its almost an action movie worthy of being penned by Ian Fleming, only better. The mystery, the thrill, the cat and mouse play, the chase, will be enough for moviegoers to cringe, and hide, and get hooked till the end.

5. Student Activism and Nationalism

College students should watch this film. They'll probably learn a thing or two about activism and nationalism. They'll appreciate how Kuang Yu Min (played brilliantly by Lee-Hom Wang) and his team of amateur bandits grow from being silly college idealists to hands-on, life-offering martyr spies taking on the Japanese 'Collaborationist' Goliaths.

6. Love

There is romance in this film, although tragic. That may sound like a spoiler but, c'mon, how do you expect it to end? At the onset, you'll know that this film's leitmotif is danger. And danger, when toyed around with, explodes and destroys.

Here lies the brilliance of the film. Poignancy. Poignancy that's not overrated. Foreboding but not preempting. At the very basic, this film is a love story. A love story that gets overpowered by its milieu.

In the end, the film simply tells you that 'love does not conquer all'. But even if it doesn't, it still triumphs. Love remains glorious even in defeat. Real love is not evidenced by winning but in why you had to lose.


***


Lust, Caution is currently on a limited run in select theaters in Metro Manila. Go, watch it. Take advantage of the holidays. it will prove to be a reprieve.