July Rhapsody (2002)

A rich experience is to be gained from watching this film.This is a seemingly simple story of a gifted pupil, Yiu Kwok, who later becomes a teacher of classical Chinese poetry. He is married with two sons, and things at home seem normal. He still loves his wife after twenty years of marriage, and his sons alternately fill him with pride (the elder one) and disappointment (the younger one).His passion for the poetry makes him an object of infatuation for a senior student in one of his classes. The student, Choi Lam, draws pictures of him during class, significantly, one of him with a flower coming from his mouth. She teases him more with her intelligence than her sexuality, although that too is an element. He of course is not immune to her attention, though he tries for a while to keep the demarcation line between teacher and student in place.The reason why he doesn't succeed in the end is complicated. Firstly there is a real depth to the communication between him and Choi Lam. It becomes clear that she genuinely likes him, and it's mutual. Secondly, there is a long-standing problem in his marriage that is brought to light when an old friend of both his and his wife becomes ill. The consequences of the wife's involvement with this friend, both past and present, are almost too sad to bear.Nothing is treated trivially in this film. All the characters have a vivid internal life, and an easily discernible history. The two leads, Jacky Cheung and Anita Mui, are outstanding, as are Karena Lam as the student Choi Lam, and Shaun Tam as the elder son On Yin.Recommended without reservation.

This is an odd little film that has depicted ordinary life empathetically. The plot is very weird, it like a story within a story and these stories are parallel. I like how the movie is presented, it is on a realistic basis, in a realistic city like Hong Kong but the storyline is almost surreal. Applause for the actors and the portrayal of their roles. Everyone has acted their role so strongly and their acting is harmonically woven into a movie.I was captured by the movie and the title. I thought they are odd which makes the ordinary lives of its characters to be abstract. Thus making reality abstract.

Excellent introspective / interpersonal piece that really had some teeth to it without feeling hopeless or worse, manipulative & artificially gratifying. Might be a good double feature with American Beauty as well. Best performance to date that I've seen from Anita Mui, and every actor in this seems like a powerhouse. Hats off to Ann Hui for the direction and Ivy Ho for the brilliant script. Seriously one of the best dramas I've seen in a while, especially if you have a taste for classical literature ALA poetry. Again, excellent.

Jacky Cheung plays Lam Yiu Kwok who is a Hong Kong high school teacher who is facing a mid-life crisis. While he has only is pride and Chinese poetry to fall back on, his peers are successful businessmen and professionals who flaunt their extravagant lifestyles at reunion dinners. After all these years, Lam is still living in a cramped apartment with his wife, Man Ching (Anita Mui) and two teenage sons.However financial stagnancy is not his only problem. An old flame and ex-teacher of both Man Ching returns to Hong Kong and uncovers old wounds. Man Ching feels obliged to help her ex-lover...Meanwhile Yiu Kwok faces another dilemma; Choy Lam (Lam Ka Yan) a precocious student, has a crush on him and the 'forbidden fruit' looks more and more tempting in the light of his wife's 'infidelity'. Will he succumb to young charms and let history repeat itself?July Rhapsody is a touching story about a man for whom honour, truth and fidelity mean a lot. Personally I have only known highly of Jacky Cheung's singing ability and have not thought much of his acting moreover in serious roles as in this movie but after watching him grapple with Lam's problems, I hold him in high regard. Anita Mui is also convincing as a wife caught between the past and present but her role is definitely being over-whelm by Lam Ka Yan who is indeed the show stealer and is so delectable in her Lolita role that she heats up every scene she appears in.Drama about mid-life crisis often need comedy to spice them up and here in this movie you can find the mixture blend of poetry, passion and pain...