b420

Year:2005
Director:Matthew Tang Hon-Keung
Cast:Miki Yeung Oi-Gan, Sam Lee Chan-Sam, Ben Hung Jin-Ming, Betty Luk, Winston Yeh, Ivy Wong, Zeni Wong, Lee Fung
Description:
A
rare Hong Kong attempt at indie filmmaking, b420
is actually one of the better films to come out of
Hong Kong in 2005. Newbie director Matthew Tang manages
to craft something approximating life; his trio of
slightly struggling youth feel real and immediate,
and their stories make for an interesting if not essential
ninety minutes. b420 is a minor, but not unworthy
little film.
Miki Yeung
stars as Koey, a highschool dropout who lives in Macau
with her grandmother. Koey conceals her lack of education
from dear old grandmom, and concerns herself with
making money plus possible emigration to join her
parents. She works at a curio store alongside Simon
, a wannabe ballet dancer who can't nail
his auditions. Simon is also massively in love with
Koey, and has been since they were children in the
same ballet class - though Koey has no recollection
of this. Simon believes love can be built slowly,
and befriends Koey quietly, through both their work
connection and the Internet. Simon has another identity
online, as Jenny, a fictional female confidant to
Koey. Meanwhile, Koey meets Willy , a former
motorcycle racing champ who now sells DVDs for a living.
The three form tentative friendships, each littered
with white lies and supposedly hidden attractions.
The overarching storyline
of b420 is a bit overwritten. Koey once participated
in a highschool video project called "b420"
along with two female friends. In the ensuing years,
the girls have grown distant, the turning point being
an evening of irresponsible mischief that ended with
bad consequences. That past plot detail resurfaces
in the present, along with a possible pregnancy, suicidal
lesbians, debilitating personal tragedies, and the
plan to fund a ballet school via a fake kidnapping.
The converging plotlines start to feel very contrived,
not unlike a catch-all film school thesis, and the
attention given is sometimes too cursory to matter.

Thankfully, director Matthew
Tang has a good handle on character interaction, and
makes his trio of lead characters into interesting
and even complex people. Koey, Willy, and Simon are
all recognizably flawed, and their off-and-on interaction
proves involving. Furthermore, Tang uses his Macau
location exceptionally well, highlighting the city's
gorgeous uniqueness without over romanticizing it.
The movie sometimes seems to tell its own story, which
helps make the abundance of sometimes contrived details
feel more fresh than the vast majority of Hong Kong's
recent attempts at "youth filmmaking." Whereas
most Hong Kong youth films are cloying fluff-fests
aimed at pushing empty popstars, b420 actually
attempts something resembling filmmaking. It may not
add up to anything that conclusive, but the trip is
worth it. In comparison to stuff like Moments of
Love or The Unusual Youth, b420
deserves a chance.