I'll Call You

Year:2006


Viann Leung and Alex Fong
Director:Lam Chi-Chung
Cast:Alex Fong Lik-Sun, Viann Leung Wai-Ka, Gordon Lam Ka-Tung, Chan Kwok-Kwan, Macy Chan Mei-Si, Lam Suet, Yuen Qiu, Poon Hang-Sang, Wellson Chin Sing-Wai, Andy Lau Tak-Wah
Description:
Famously huge Stephen Chow crony Lam Chi-Chung wrote
and directed I'll Call You, a surprisingly solid
comedy-drama about the perils of modern romance. Swimmer/singer
Alex Fong Lik-Sun is Manny, a too-nice fellow who finds
chance romance with pretty shopping channel host Karen
. The two meet at a bar and share an instant
attraction, but they may not be right for one another.
Manny is entirely too serious about relationships, and
allows himself to be completely owned by the girls he
dates. Karen is a flaky party girl who likes Manny,
but also likes the other guys she hangs out with during
her frequent all-nighters at Lan Kwai Fong. What that
means is she likes Manny enough to hold his hand, but
not enough for more than that. She's also hideously
late to their dates, though Manny usually greets her
punctuality problems with immediate forgiveness. However,
the incompatibility issues pile up. Clearly, these two
are headed for something resembling a break up. Big
surprise, they do break up - but they'll get back together,
won't they?
Actually, maybe not. Though
it stars popstar-friendly Alex Fong and pretty TV personality
Viann Leung, I'll Call You is not really like
other youth romantic comedies. More specifically, it's
not concerned with the pair's journey towards gooey
couplehood, and is instead set on examining the emotional
states of two people with different approaches to love.
Manny's far too serious, so his break up with Karen
sends him into an emotional tailspin. He goes from too
devoted to too depressed in an almost alarming manner;
Manny basically becomes a prisoner to his own obsessive
self-pity. Lam Chi-Chung conveys Manny's state of mind
by actually placing him in a prison onscreen, where
he chooses to imbibe alcohol instead of eating solid
food, and soon finds company in Biggie, the overly-muscled
monk from Running on Karma .
Biggie threatens to sing Andy Lau songs while Manny
continues to choose alcohol over regular food, turning
his prison stay into one long self-pity binge. If you're
confused by this description, raise your hand.
Obviously, Manny isn't
really meeting Johnnie To characters in the film. Lam
stuffs I'll Call You with many sequences of fantasy
exposition, the goal being some sort of creative combination
of absurd humor and narrative metaphor. Surprisingly,
Lam's film school-worthy technique works; the self-conscious
storytelling gimmicks prove creative and interesting.
That the scenes reflect recognizable and sometimes painful
emotions makes them all the more compelling. Alex Fong
and Viann Leung make an oddly familiar pair; they're
a couple of maybe-they-shouldn't-be lovers who may miss
some chances at love, but still manage to grow as people.
Lam gets his message across in an offbeat and enjoyable
manner, and his quirky characters and humor ultimately
come off as funny instead of cloying. The film sometimes
seems aimless, and some gags are more obvious than funny,
but this is a fine showing for first-time director Lam.
I'll Call You is
the debut entry in Andy Lau's Focus First Cuts Film
Series, an HD-video project that gives fledgling directors
a chance at telling their own stories. If this first
film is any indication, the series is well worth a chance,
as I'll Call You demonstrates that the Focus
First Cuts films may be creator-driven and not slaves
to some money-hungry marketing plan. Lam Chi-Chung's
debut feature shows effort and thought, and while it
may not be truly accomplished, the attempt is more than
enough. Hong Kong Cinema needs more movies like this.