It's only out in HK theaters tomorrow but the director(Julian Lee) provided me a videotape so here it goes(sorry if there are too many english mistakes):
Plot:After being aware of his brother's death, Sam Yuen (played by Daniel Wu) comes back to Hong-Kong to make some investigations. But quickly, many secrets of his past get revealed.
After waiting for four years, Julian Lee has finally given a follow-up to his first critically acclaimed movie The Accident. Once again, this is an adaptation of one of his novels and the making of the film is a good example of the difficulty to be an independent HK director when you have some ambitions. Ambitious is a word which suits well Night Corridor because its the kind of movies which leads us to wonder about our own conception of what is an Asian film: just as we could point out the American influence on the Korean movie industry (for the best and the worst), this one shows that the globalization of the cinema can goes even further to provide some innovative and hybrid works like Night Corridor. The first thing that catches the viewers attention is the way Hong-Kong is being shown because the sets are limited to some particular places which are relics of past, when the West was still a important in the city. Beside the big presence of the catholic religion in the movie (because of the story and also inspired visuals like the flat of Kara Hui which is filled by representations of the Virgin Mary), this influence can also be found in the architecture of the library which is one of the key-place of the movie. But about the visual treatment, its interesting to link Julians work with the filmography of Dario Argento: on this aspect, fans of giallos wont be deceived because Julian Lee is as inspired as the Italian master by creating a permanent tension throughout the whole picture: a good example could the shadow of the director (in a cameo) on a wall which visually becomes something surreal and frightening: it just strikes the viewers mind by the use of an unconscious violence inherited from the art of painting. Paintings also have an importance in the story and we could make a comparison with The Stendhals Syndrome but Julian goes beyond the usual giallo to take tortuous ways
The beginning credits showing us some Julians pictures taken from his exposition Painful Portraits and the fact that the original novel has been inspired by the self-portraits of Leon Spilliaert make of Night Corridor a reflect of these tortured visions and Julian Lee isnt reluctant to take his story into the darkest areas of the human soul. The movie has been classified as Category 3 and its obvious regarding themes like paedophilia and repressed homosexuality mixed in a constant violent mood. The painting used in the movie is called The Nightmare and it suits the mood of the movie because Julian Lee uses a narration typically dreamy, a narration based on the subconscious of his characters and by following this way of storytelling, Night Corridor steps in David Lynchs cinema by creating his own world away from rationality. Daniel Wu being the only character the viewer can follow, we can just lose control as he does and rely on impulses more than reflection. Its clear that on this matter the movie will have his bunch of haters like Lynch has already: but who cares as its the particularity of directors who make no compromises. But it isnt perfect and the only flaw is at the end when the movie gives the audience a wink: then all the tension which has been accumulated during the film falls apart but anyway, it doesnt keep the viewer from having a long-term pleasure after the viewing of the movie.
People who have been waiting for a possible The Accident 2 will be deceived but its better to see a director who doesnt repeat himself and with Night Corridor, Julian Lee really becomes one of the most interesting talents of the current HK cinema and we could start to dream about a third movie which will mix the melancholy of The Accident with the darkness and visual style of Night Corridor but for now, this movie just stands up as being the best example of what the HK independent cinema can offer.
If you are interested, I met Julian Lee to weeks ago and interviewed him on his two movies(The Accident and Night Corridor), here's the result:
Special edition on Night Corridor
Plot:After being aware of his brother's death, Sam Yuen (played by Daniel Wu) comes back to Hong-Kong to make some investigations. But quickly, many secrets of his past get revealed.
After waiting for four years, Julian Lee has finally given a follow-up to his first critically acclaimed movie The Accident. Once again, this is an adaptation of one of his novels and the making of the film is a good example of the difficulty to be an independent HK director when you have some ambitions. Ambitious is a word which suits well Night Corridor because its the kind of movies which leads us to wonder about our own conception of what is an Asian film: just as we could point out the American influence on the Korean movie industry (for the best and the worst), this one shows that the globalization of the cinema can goes even further to provide some innovative and hybrid works like Night Corridor. The first thing that catches the viewers attention is the way Hong-Kong is being shown because the sets are limited to some particular places which are relics of past, when the West was still a important in the city. Beside the big presence of the catholic religion in the movie (because of the story and also inspired visuals like the flat of Kara Hui which is filled by representations of the Virgin Mary), this influence can also be found in the architecture of the library which is one of the key-place of the movie. But about the visual treatment, its interesting to link Julians work with the filmography of Dario Argento: on this aspect, fans of giallos wont be deceived because Julian Lee is as inspired as the Italian master by creating a permanent tension throughout the whole picture: a good example could the shadow of the director (in a cameo) on a wall which visually becomes something surreal and frightening: it just strikes the viewers mind by the use of an unconscious violence inherited from the art of painting. Paintings also have an importance in the story and we could make a comparison with The Stendhals Syndrome but Julian goes beyond the usual giallo to take tortuous ways
The beginning credits showing us some Julians pictures taken from his exposition Painful Portraits and the fact that the original novel has been inspired by the self-portraits of Leon Spilliaert make of Night Corridor a reflect of these tortured visions and Julian Lee isnt reluctant to take his story into the darkest areas of the human soul. The movie has been classified as Category 3 and its obvious regarding themes like paedophilia and repressed homosexuality mixed in a constant violent mood. The painting used in the movie is called The Nightmare and it suits the mood of the movie because Julian Lee uses a narration typically dreamy, a narration based on the subconscious of his characters and by following this way of storytelling, Night Corridor steps in David Lynchs cinema by creating his own world away from rationality. Daniel Wu being the only character the viewer can follow, we can just lose control as he does and rely on impulses more than reflection. Its clear that on this matter the movie will have his bunch of haters like Lynch has already: but who cares as its the particularity of directors who make no compromises. But it isnt perfect and the only flaw is at the end when the movie gives the audience a wink: then all the tension which has been accumulated during the film falls apart but anyway, it doesnt keep the viewer from having a long-term pleasure after the viewing of the movie.
People who have been waiting for a possible The Accident 2 will be deceived but its better to see a director who doesnt repeat himself and with Night Corridor, Julian Lee really becomes one of the most interesting talents of the current HK cinema and we could start to dream about a third movie which will mix the melancholy of The Accident with the darkness and visual style of Night Corridor but for now, this movie just stands up as being the best example of what the HK independent cinema can offer.
If you are interested, I met Julian Lee to weeks ago and interviewed him on his two movies(The Accident and Night Corridor), here's the result:
Special edition on Night Corridor
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ROGUE MONKEYS! 
