First Love: the litter on the breeze (1997) | Hong Kong Movie World review

First Love: the litter on the breeze (1997)

Block 2 Pictures | Amuse Group | Jet Tone

Cast: Eric Kot Man Fai, Takeshi Kaneshiro (Gum Sing Mo), Karen Mok, Lee Wei Wei,

Madame Nancy, Vincent Kok, Cheung Dik Lung, Vani Wong, Alan Wang, Maggie Leung

Cameo: Grasshopper (Edmond So, Calvin Choi, Remus Choi)

                                                               Music: Carl Wong      Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle (HKSC)
                                                                               Writer: Ocean Chan, Yeh Nian Chen (Yip Lim Sam)
                                                      Executive Producer: Chan Ye Cheng      Producer: Wong Kar Wai, Yokichi Osato

Director: Eric Kot Man Fai

First Love: the litter on the breeze

"Dating is like peeling an apple. After you finish, the apple will rot quickly."

Shot between 1996-1997, Eric Kot Man Fai's 'First Love: the litter on the breeze' is an art

film, a romance, a comedy and a documentary all at once. What it's not is a commercial

film. Viewers who don't favor it's meditative / haphazard style should stay away,

but for those who enjoy off-beat experimental works it might be their cup of tea.

Though Kot Man Fai's persona dominates, 'First Love' is particularly reminiscent of

Chungking Express and bears the visual stamp of Wong Kar Wai's cinematographer,

Christopher Doyle. As Kot explains, it was Wong Kar Wai himself who approached him to

collaborate together. Along with Wong Kar Wai alumni Karen Mok and Takeshi Kaneshiro,

Wong serves as co-producer while Eric acts, directs, narrates and sings the theme song.

The result of Kot's first full length film as director is sweet, sometimes annoying, and

consistently sentimental.

The movie is comprised of 2 short films on the topic of "first loves". The opening tale

undergoes 4 rewrites before finally settling on the romance between a sleepwalking

bakery worker (Lee Wei Wei) and a "mentally handicapped" garbageman (Takeshi

Kaneshiro). The girl eventually becomes infatuated with videotaping her night time

excursions with her mini digital camcorder, always joined by her quirky garbageman friend.

Like WKW's work, the film labors over the most minute of ideas, with most characters

killing time like they're going to live for a thousand years. One sequence has Kaneshiro

literally examining the hairs on his toes. During it all, Kot frequently interrupts with his

comic narration, commenting on the production with sayings like, "This is my favorite

shot" or "Christopher Doyle is truly amazing!."

The second short stars Eric Kot as a married grocery owner who is visited by his former

fiancee (Karen Mok) 10 years after he left her at the altar. Day after day Mok turns up

in his shop, orders a bottle of Coke and downs it standing, pays and leaves. Kot is guilt

ridden over the abandonment, and the fact that he gave her wedding ring to his wife

(Nancy Lan Sai). Alluring as usual, Mok has an interesting though relatively untaxing role

as the jilted lover.

'First Love: the litter on the breeze' may be slow and abstract, but it still contains

some of the more showy aspects of HK comedies. Kot engages in his usual buffoonish

schtick as he narrates the first short, at one point wearing giant shades, an afro wig,

and a Volvo racing jersey. By the end of the film, Kot is actually moved to tears by the

experience. Whether this is genuine or a superb piece of acting is hard to tell.

Related viewing: Chungking Express (1994) Takeshi Kaneshiro, Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung

Dragon Heat (2001) Eric Kot, Karen Mok, Ekin Cheng, Shu Qi, etc.

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