INNOCENT (2005) (Canada & Hong Kong) (Dir.Simon Chung) (Spoken Languages:Cantonese, English,Mandarin) (Subtitles:English)
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Synopsis
The Story
Vulnerable young teen Eric is at a crossroads in his life, both geographically and emotionally. A reluctant immigrant plucked from the familiarity of his Hong Kong existence to the rootless suburbia of Toronto, he struggles with his sexual identity while his nuclear family slowly crumbles around him. Soon, he finds himself falling for a succession of men while learning and growing from every painful experience.
Independent Review:
"A Sensitive Examination of Displaced People and the Consequences"
Writer/director Simon Chung, in his first major motion picture, shows evidence of a solid talent and promise that there are many fine films lurking about in his head. He has produced a story that is pertinent on many levels, addressing the questions of family bonding after transplantation to another country, sexual coming of age of a young lad without support systems, miscegenation of cultures at polar opposites, and how to cope in a strange land without adequate mental preparation.
Eric (Timothy Lee - a very promising, subtle young actor) and his sister, mother and father move from Hong Kong to Toronto, Canada to seek the wealth of their dream. Eric was in with the wrong crowd in Hong Kong and doesn't want to move to Canada, but his parents force the move to aid his education AND to find some success in business that eluded them in Hong Kong. The family moves in with relatives (Eric's very hunky cousin becomes the object of his sexual fantasies despite the fact that the cousin has a girlfriend) and slowly the family works into the atmosphere of Toronto. But Eric's parents show signs of breakup, a fact that actually occurs. Eric finds an older man who supplies his needs sexually and emotionally, but the man has a lover who returns to destroy the possibility of permanence. The mother opens a restaurant forcing Eric to work there, the only positive aspect of the job being Eric's friendship/potential love with one of the busboys who he decides to help make the crossing into New York. On a very brave venture Eric succeeds in getting his current amour into the city only to be deserted by him. The film slows and stops without resolution of Eric's needs.
And it is this ending that makes the impression. Life, Chung seems to be saying, is not a progressive series of culminating events, but is rather a potpourri of isolated incidents from which we learn and move on. The cast is uniformly fine, but the standouts are Eric's very handsome cousin who appears to have a solid career ahead of him, and Timothy Lee who brings compassion and very subtle acting to a difficult role. He is another actor to watch. Though being marketed as a gay film (and indeed it does deal with gay issues), the audience should be much larger, especially as we are constantly dealing with immigration issues today: this is another look and stance for a large problem and one about which we understand too little.
~ Grady Harp (United States)
Independent Review:
"A tender story of confusion and love hard won"
A sensitive story of a young man immigrating to Toronto and dealing with the conflicts that follow. Timothy Lee as "Eric" demonstrates a subtle intensity, underplaying scenes that lesser actors would turn into melodrama. Director Chung especially handles the various sexual encounters Eric has with taste, yet still captures the erotic tension of a young gay Asian man's journey of self discovery. All this while cinematographer Vinit Borrison's cool colour palette mines the melancholy of the city, accurately reflecting the cold grey of Toronto.
Perhaps the only jarring note in the movie is the appearance of the band "White Van Speaker Scam". The band rocks with an intensity entirely at odds with the gentle yearning tone Director Chang works so hard to achieve. No sooner is the powerhouse Soul/Rock groove machine done disrupting the movies' pacing, then we are further subjected to the hammy, over the top performance of drummer James Scott. Bassist Lee Rogers at least has the best hair in the movie, and as for guitarist Adam Burnett, his footage thankfully hit the editing room floor. Would that this entire sequence had done so as well! But this is a trifle of a complaint in an otherwise perfect "small film".
~ poink-1 (Canada)
READ ME! ..(Important "Innocent" PDF Information File)
Film Background Information
Web: Cast, Bios and Additonal Details at IMDb
Director: Simon Chung
Writer: Simon Chung
Complete Credits: Full Cast, Crew & Credits
Genre: Drama
Awards: n/a
Run Time: 80 min.
Spoken Language: Cantonese | English | Mandarin
Subtitles: English
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Film Clip:"Innocent"
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