Who is the Lady in Black? That two separate but very different characters in the film can just as easily fit the bill testifies to the sophistication of The Lady in Black. They are actually two of three women in the life of a spoiled brat (played effectively against type by the usually stodgy Cheung Wood-yau) and they offer divergent embodiments of the fabled femme noir. The film, with an intriguing script by Cheng Kang and directed with tingling stylishness by Chu Kea, falls apart in the last third trying desperately to conform to conventional morals, but rises above the ordinary with a captivating and fascinating first half.

24/9

(Sat)

2:00pm

Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

2/10

(Sun)

8:30pm *

Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

* Post-screening talk with Shu Kei