films

Comrades: Almost a Love Story (甜蜜蜜). dir. Peter Chan (陳可辛). 1996.

Comrades; Almost a Love Story (Tian mi mi) is a 1996 Hong Kong film directed by Peter Chan. Taking place in Hong Kong and New York, the film stars Maggie Cheung, Leon Lai, Eric Tsang and Kristy Yang. The title of the film references Tian mi mi (featured by sinθ here) by Teresa Teng (鄧麗君), who plays a main role in the subplot and whose songs are heavily played throughout the film. With Teng’s passing a year before its release, the film was said to be a tribute and a love poem in memory of Teresa Teng. Leon Lai covers the song for the ending theme.

Covering the span of more than a decade, the film focuses on the spontaneous, passionate relationship between two Chinese mainlanders who migrated to Hong Kong. The two characters, driven by dreams, financial gains and the pursuit for success, are eventually brought together by the loneliness of living in the big, bustling city of Hong Kong.

The film was well received in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and Maggie Cheung’s performance won general acclaim. The film swept the 16th Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Picture, Actress, Director, Screenplay and Cinematography. It was also listed as one of the 100 Greatest Chinese Films of all time by multiple associations and film festivals.

No more tears.