Set in the politically charged Hong Kong of the 1960s, iconic Chinese director Yonfan's animation debut is an atmospheric story of an English literature student who enters into a love triangle with the woman he is tutoring and her middle-aged mother.
This latest feature from the iconic Yonfan — his animation debut — finds the renowned filmmaker, photographer, art connoisseur, and collector returning to the Hong Kong of his youth, a setting simmering with political turmoil and unfettered desire.
It is 1967, the year of the leftist riots, with violent clashes between anti-colonial demonstrators and police erupting in Hong Kong's streets. For Ziming (Alex Lam), however, a more personal revolution is about to begin. A student at the University of Hong Kong, Ziming accepts a gig tutoring Meiling (Zhao Wei), the daughter of Mrs. Yu (Sylvia Chang), a single mother and exporter of luxury goods to Taiwan. Amidst stimulating discussions of Brontë, Proust and Cao Xueqin, Ziming will find himself drawn into intimate entanglements with both Meiling and Mrs. Yu, leading him toward an education no academic institution could possibly provide.
Steeped in art and history, No.7 Cherry Lane is a unique feature animation that bridges fantasy and memory, politics and eroticism. Utilizing a new process that turns original 3-D illustrations into 2-D images on rice paper, Yonfan has created a groundbreaking aesthetic that's bathed in an utterly modern artistic perspective yet seeped in nostalgia.
Regarding the film as a sort of love letter to Hong Kong, Yonfan revels in the city's unique character and beautifully conjures the atmosphere of this special period of excitement and unrest.
GIOVANNA FULVI
Screenings
TIFF Bell Lightbox 3
Scotiabank 6
TIFF Bell Lightbox 1
Scotiabank 2
Scotiabank 10
Scotiabank 10