Movies - Days of Being Wild

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	Movies - Days of Being Wild

Days of Being Wild aka The True Story of Ah Fei () is a 1991 Hong Kong movie by director Wong Kar-wai.

Often touted as the breakthrough film of director Wong, the film featured some of the most well-known actors and actresses of the then-colony, including Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung and Andy Lau. Tony Leung Chiu Wai made a cameo role lasting several minutes in the last take of the movie which he credits as a turning point in his acting career. It also marks the first collaboration between Wong and cinematographer Christopher Doyle, who would go on to make eight films together (so far).

The movie forms the first part of an informal trilogy, together with In the Mood for Love
(released in 2000) and 2046
(released in 2004).

Plot details

The movie is set in Hong Kong and in the Philippines in 1960. Yuddy, or 'York' in English (Leslie Cheung), was a playboy in Hong Kong and was well-known for stealing girls' hearts and breaking them as is the usual theme for movies with a dashing and charismatic male lead. His first victim is Li Zhen (Maggie Cheung) who suffered emotional and mental depression as a result of Yuddy's wayward attitude eventually seeking much-needed solace from a goody two-shoes cop Tide (Andy Lau). Their near-romance was often hinted at although it never materialised.

York has forgotten his fling with the unassuming and shy Li Zhen and has set his attentions to a vivacious cabaret dancer played by Carina Lau who was also secretly loved by Zeb (Jacky Cheung). Unsurprisingly, York dumps her too and begins a period of self-destruction. It later becomes evident that York's inability to commit and instict for romantic cruelty derives from conflicting feelings about his adoptive mother, a former prostitute, played by Rebecca Pan, and his biological mother, a Filipino aristocrat.

Most sections of the film attempt to narrate how people react to rejection, although it was very vaguely depicted. This film was seen to be among the first of its genre popularised by Wong Kar-wai, it does not rely on a plot but more on the individual strengths of its many actors and actresses to narrate the story through their seemingly mundane day-to-day activities.

Days of Being Wild broke away from the light fare that typified Hong Kong cinema at the time by introducing thematic ambiguity and an arthouse aesthetic. Many other Hong Kong films such as Ashes of Time
, Temptress Moon
, and the best example of all In the Mood for Love
belong to the same school of Hong Kong cinema.

Cast and roles

Leslie Cheung
- Yuddy
Maggie Cheung
- Su Li Zhen. She grew up in Macau. She is a lover of Yuddy
Andy Lau
- Tide, policeman 6117. He becomes a friend and confident of Su Li Zhen. Later, after the death of his mother, he becomes a sailor
Carina Lau
- Leung Fung-ying, Mimi/Lulu. She is a lover of Yuddy
Rebecca Pan
- Rebecca, a former prostitute who raised Yuddy. Having revealed Yuddy that she is not his mother, she is reluctant to disclose the identity of his real mother
Jacky Cheung
- Zeb
Danilo Antunes - Rebecca's Lover
Hung Mei-Mei - The Amah
Ling Ling-Hung - Nurse
Tita Muñoz - Yuddy's Mother
Alicia Alonzo - Housekeeper
Elena Lim So - Hotel Manageress
Maritoni Fernandez - Hotel Maid
Angela Ponos - Prostitute
Nonong Talbo - Train Conductor
Tony Leung Chiu Wai
- unrelated cameo appearance in the last scene of the movie

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Days of Being Wild ]

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