Opening Day: 2 September 2010

Synopsis:

Bespectacled Gucci peddles her virginity for a secondhand branded bag, Icy does it to support her loser-boyfriend, rich girl Ronnie does it because of boredom and Lin the happy hooker falls for one of her johns. Things have a way of going wrong, and they always go wrong. A maniac killer who cuts up girls is on the loose, a perverted cop and a john with Aids are among some characters who come their way. But the Girl$ survive; and even come out better. No regrets for their youth in these times of high consumer capitalism.

Movie Review:

Look to the left of this page. Yes, stare hard, stare very hard. With a movie poster featuring not one, but two alluring girls, how can any male reviewer say no to the preview of this ahem, sex-citing drama? But before any reader accuses this reviewer of being a shallow and superficial human being, let’s get things straight that he is aware that youth prostitution is an increasingly serious social problem. And it is with this mindset that he stepped into the preview theatre screening this ahem, sex-citing drama.

The plot revolves around for four girls who get involved in compensation dating. This, my innocent and protected friends, is an activity where girls are paid to date. It is important to note that sex is not an obligation here, because the date can be as simple as a night out at the movies. Hey, but why stop at that when you can have some fun, and forgive the somewhat irresponsible statement here that follows, when you are paying for the date?

Welcome to the harsh, cruel and not so beautiful world.

So we have these four girls (aptly named Gucci, Icy, Ronnie and Lin – “GIRL”, get it?) who engage in compensation dating for different reasons. One needs the money to pay for a limited edition Gucci bag, one needs to support her loser boyfriend, one needs some excitement in her comforting but boring life, and one just wants to be rich. These stories are like case studies from a sociology textbook, if you ask us.

Director Kenneth Bi helms his third feature film sure handedly here, especially the somewhat awkward efforts Rice Rhapsody (2004) and The Drummer (2007). He tackles a prevalent social issue which demands to be addressed. What does consumer capitalism do to our youths today? What is the true essence of love and friendship in this hustle and bustle of a city? What directions would our young people take after that phase called “coming of age”? These poignant questions present themselves in the four protagonists’ tales, although Bi chooses to tackle them in a formulaic storytelling approach.

There is nothing refreshing here when it comes to plot and character development. You get the usual dramatic unfolding of events, with the standard structure and predictable outcomes. Expectedly, friendships are formed between the girls because of the hardships they go through. Oh, how can we forget the one dimensional male counterparts who are either sex hungry animals or good for nothings in the girls; lives? Not that there is anything wrong with this approach taken by the filmmakers to present this film, because audiences would be flocking to the cinemas to catch the, ahem, sex-citing bits anyway.

There are some truly gritty (and painful, if we can confess) sexual scenes here, which work well to portray the lifestyles young people lead today. Nothing sensual or dreamy here to romanticize things, just sex. We are guessing that these scenes would please quite a few male members of the public.

It helps that there are no big names or familiar faces in this movie. Venus Wong (Gucci – she is working to own a branded bag), Michelle Wai (Icy – the mama-san who is working hard to provide for her boyfriend), Bonnie Xian (Ronnie – the rich but lonely girl) and Una Lin (Lin – she falls in love with one of her clients) bring different degrees of rawness to their respective characters. The supporting male roles are filled by Derek Tsang, Deep Ng and Eric Tse whom some audiences may know from other Hong Kong productions.

It seems like Bi never intended to make a movie with much depth, so he complements that with flashy editing and edgy cinematography, which works effectively here. There is no doubt that this is one of the most, ahem, sex-citing drama at the movies this year.

Movie Rating:



(This well intended and socially aware movie entertains more than it informs)

Review by John Li