Cannes. Ocean Flame.

"Screenwriter Liu Fendou has created the flip side of his directorial debut Green Hat," writes Maggie Lee, reviewing Ocean Flame in the Hollywood Reporter.

"While the former is a controversial black comedy about the crisis of impotence, the latter shows the risks of virility.... The supercharged machismo and caveman eroticism characteristic of Liu are sure to provoke strong reactions. Some will love it, most will hate it, but his self-proclaimed auteur's voice rings out loud and clear."

"This over-stylized tale of mad love Hong Kong-style, featuring gangsters and copious sex and nudity, plays like a more modest but no less ambitious companion piece of sorts to last year's steamy Lust, Caution," suggests Dan Fainaru in Screen Daily.

"Liu has a fine eye for visuals and a penchant for toying with his audience through black comedy and temporal shifts; but these tricks, which kept Green Hat afloat for most of the time, run out of gas halfway here," writes Derek Elley in Variety.

Un Certain Regard.

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Coverage of the coverage: Cannes 08.

Last year: Cannes @ 60. And Cannes 06.

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Posted by dwhudson at June 1, 2008 8:02 AM