Sik ching nam lui

I remember having heard about this 1996 comedy drama titled "Sik Ching Nam Lui" (aka "Viva Erotica") probably around the late 1990s or early 2000s. However, I never actually managed to get around to watching it, primarily because I never had a copy of the movie. So as I stumbled upon the movie here in 2022, of course I opted to sit down and watch it.

I didn't know that "Sik Ching Nam Lui" was actually having such a rather impressive cast ensemble, and that was definitely something that helped win me over to watch the movie. I mean, you have the likes of Leslie Cheung, Karen Mok, Shu Qi, Ching Wan Lau and Paul Chun on the cast list, so fans of the Hong Kong cinema are definitely in for a treat here in terms of acting talents in the movie.

It should be noted that fans of Shu Qi might actually get a kick out of watching "Sik Ching Nam Lui".

Well, I have to say that while "Sik Ching Nam Lui" was watchable, it just wasn't a particularly outstanding movie experience. Writers Bosco Lam, Chi-Leung Law and Tung-Shing Yee just didn't really impress me with the storyline for this movie. So I can't claim to feel that I have been missing out on a Hong Kong cinema gem here. "Sik Ching Nam Lui" was watchable for what it was, sure, but it just didn't impress me.

At times, it feels like "Sik Ching Nam Lui" is poking fun at the Hong Kong movie industry. I have to say that "Sik Ching Nam Lui" actually somewhat had a foreboding darkness to it, about how director Derek Yee committed suicide and other things, as they somewhat mirrored what fate would later fall upon Leslie Cheung in his real life.

And while "Sik Ching Nam Lui" didn't really prove all that enjoyable to my liking, then I am sure that it is the kind of self-aware and non-too-taking-itself-overly-serious type of movie that will have a solid audience out there.

My rating of "Sik Ching Nam Lui" from directors Tung-Shing Yee and Chi-Leung Law lands on a four out of ten stars.