Everlasting Regret

A stylish film, but not quite as good as I remembered it to be. At times, this felt like a poor man's Kar-Wai Wong: all the elements were there, but the passion was lacking. That's not to say Everlasting Regret is fundamentally flawed, it just lacks that extra layer of polish that makes a film stand out from the crowd.

Qiyao's life is about to change when a local photographer bumps into her. He pushes Qiyao to enter the Miss Shanghai contest, which she wins. She becomes the mistress of a renowned official and lives the life of a socialite. Her beauty fades though and her friends leave the city one by one, while she remains alone in Shanghai.

It's a solid enough premise, but the direction needed to be a bit more refined. The moody cinematography and oldskool music are nice, but can't compete with the better films in the genre. Neither can Tony Leung and Sammi Cheng, despite their efforts. It's a pleasant film, worth a try if you haven't seen it yet, but it's not good enough to be a personal favorite.