Hong Kong
Confidential (2010/aka Amaya/MVD Visual DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: D Extras: D Main Program: B+
In the
beautiful modern day city of Hong Kong,
3 different people with 3 different lives meet, interact and are changed by the
time they depart. Amaya (Kaori Momoi),
who works at a massage parlor for decades, Paul (Andrius Mamontovas), a wealthy
white haired foreigner touring and learning about the art of massage, and
Jasmin (Monte Tung), a young beautiful girl in desperate need of money and a
job. The all meet at the massage parlor,
each one hiding their troubles, pain and worries, but through each other they
find someone whom they can confide and share their thoughts and stories in
Maris Martinsons’ Hong Kong Confidential
(2010).
Behind smiling
faces, daily tasks and jobs, what is the story behind a person? Amaya has been working the same job, same
routine for years and yearns for change, a vacation from repetition. She is joined by Jasmin, an unemployed girl
in need of money but is tired of foreign men looking to her to have sex with. And Paul, a foreigner playboy who uses his
time, effort and money to help Asian woman as his own personal self repentance
for him cheating on his wife. All three
feel jaded, angry, sad or just lonely, but somehow fate has brought them
together they are able to come to terms with themselves and find acceptance.
This
story is much like a toned down versions of the many true stories that come out
of Asia, one of a tired elder Asian woman who tries to guide a young Asian
girl, whom is ironically saved by very type of foreigners she come to despise,
but then the foreigner in this story actually has problems self guilt. Is this the last chance for any or all of them
to find themselves?
The
picture is badly shot on a RED ONE HD camera and the sound is really
substandard to the point that it hurt the overall presentation, though the
playback image was not making things pleasant to begin with. Too bad, because I was really enjoying this
one otherwise. There are no extras.
- Ricky Chiang
