One of the best examples of Hong Kong modernistic film, the film is an extraordinarily poignant and graphic portrayal of life: strangers and friends, love and hate, privacy and gossip, and ultimately life and death. Three young ladies who dream of becoming big stars in Hong Kong befriend one another and they meet a young man. One of the young ladies is killed, the detective who investigates the case ends up befriending them, and dying of a terminal illness. The remaining three discover that they love themselves over anyone else, but lack the courage to face the future alone. Stanley Kwan paints with great panache and detail the lives of the four friends: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Chow Yun-fat, Elaine Jin and Irene Wan, who each portrays their quirky and emotionally fraught characters with tremendous skill.

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