Ann Hui‘s eighth feature film highlighted once more her knack for including sociopolitical elements in genre titles, with the bloody 1967 trade union riots and the legislative elections of 1988 being the background of a romantic story that unfolds in two time axes.
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The movie starts in the present, where 40-years-old Cai-Mei To is trying to fulfill a mission of bringing Cheung Tian-an, a whiz kid and aspiring stylist, back to his highschool where he has dropped out in order to make money. Initially posing as a friend who wants to help, and someone who has ‘spent a year at the Vidal Sassoon headquarters’, she soon finds herself the object of his intense flirting, despite their age difference. Although initially resisting, as soon as she achieves her goal, her defenses fall. In the second axis, which takes place when she was a student herself, she strikes a relationship with her teacher, Dr Cheung, who happens to be married. Expectedly, the affair is not exactly smooth.
A second trademark of Ann Hui’s works is that she manages to refocus the majority of her narrative in order to make them present comments about women. This approach here, however, is more than evident, since the protagonist is actually a woman, although the way the male characters become simply secondary ones, highlights the aforementioned. In that regard, her comments about the treatment of women throughout the two axes is quite pointed, as we watch Cai-Mei being criticized in the first for having a relationship with an older man, and in the second, with a younger. The fact that the people around her call her a tramp in both cases showcases the comment rather eloquently, while the scene with her meeting with her higher ups, and the even more significant judgment she receives there, cement this aspect. Lastly, the presentation of Dr Cheung’s wife is rather tragic, particularly in the way the story unfolds, with her presence adding another level to the comment.
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Apart from this, the political subtext, as referred above, is also rather interesting in the way it is implemented in the narrative, with Hui presenting the turbulence of both timelines, with a realism that also includes documentary elements, as in the case of actual footage. The way Cai-Mei is almost killed in the first and her involvement with politics in the second, solidify this aspect .
At the same time, the movie works quite well as a double love story, although the twist about the connection of the two lovers does border on the cheesy and hyperbolic, even if it works well in drama terms. At the same time, this element could have been handled better, particularly in its revelation.
In general, one could say that there are some issues with the direction here, especially since the rather fast pace does not work well for the unfolding of the story, while a number of the aforementioned elements seem to have been forced in the narrative. In that regard, Wong Yee-shun’s editing also has some issues, additionally including the flashbacks, which could have been better placed in the story.
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On the other hand, both Ann Hui and the whole movie essentially lean significantly on the charisma and beauty of its protagonists. Brigitte Lin as Cai-Mei is exceptional throughout, with the variety of sentiments and psychological statuses she exhibits all being well portrayed. David Wu as Tien-on highlights his immaturity and passion quite well, while George Lam as Dr Cheung is quite good as both the composed teacher and the shattered, alcoholic man.
“Starry is the Night” is definitely not among Ann Hui’s best, but it still deserves a watch for the casting/acting and the comments presented throughout the movie.
