Durian Durian
7.4 /10 1 Votes7.4
Language CantoneseMandarin | 7.2/10 IMDb Genre Drama Duration | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Writer Fruit Chan , Chan Wai-Keung , Zhi Min Sheng Release date 2000-11-16 Initial release November 16, 2000 (Hong Kong) Cast (Qin Yan), Wai-Fan Mak (Fan), Xiao Ming Biao (Xiao Ming), Wai Yiu Yung (Pimp), Fanny Fen-ni (Prostitute), Qingyong Hu (Da Yong)Music director Wah-Chuen Lam, Hing-Cheung Chu, Carlton Chu Similar movies Directed by Fruit Chan, Hong Kong movies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A child (Mak Wai Fan) befriends her neighbor, a young prostitute (Qin Hailu) whose permit to stay in Hong Kong is expiring.
Contents
Durian Durian (Chinese: ; Cantonese Yale: ) is a 2000 Hong Kong film directed by Fruit Chan. The film portrays the experiences of a young girl, Fan (Mak Wai-Fan) and her sex worker neighbour, Yan (Qin Hailu) in Hong Kong.
Fruit Chan's second feature of 2000 takes its title from the Durian, a fruit whose large, ungainly exterior and delicious taste serve as a metaphor for the film's Hong Kong setting. Yan (Qin Hailu) and Fan (Mak Wai Fan) are neighbors in Hong Kong's Mong Kok district. Yan is a 21-year-old prostitute who works for a pimp and spends her off-hours watching TV in her miniscule apartment or hanging out with other prostitutes at a local cafe.
Plot
Yan is a prostitute from the mainland in Hong Kong, living near Fan and her family, who is staying in the area illegally. Yan meets Fan in a laneway behind Portland Street and become friends after Yans pimp is assaulted in front of Fan by an assailant wielding a durian fruit.
Yan services dozens of clients per day and showers compulsively. After her 3-month-stay in Hong Kong, Yan returns to her family and her ex-fiance in Northeast China to invest what she has earned. Yan remains in contact with Fan, receiving a durian from her as a gift.
Connection to Fruit Chans other work
Fan was featured in Little Cheung, a film which also deals with poverty and life as an immigrant. This film also centres upon Portland Street in Kowloon.
Awards
At the 20th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2001, Durian Durian was nominated for the Best Film, Best Director (Fruit Chan), Best Screenplay (Fruit Chan), Best Actress (Qin Hailu), Best New Performer (Qin Hailu) and Best Art Direction (Tin Muk) awards. It won the awards for Best Film and Best New Performer. It was awarded Best Film at the 2001 Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards. The film also won the Best Picture award at the 38th Golden Horse Awards, with Qin winning the Best Actress and Best New Performer awards.
Reception
In addition to numerous awards, the film has received critical acclaim. Reviews have praised director Fruit Chan and actresses Qin Hailu and Mak Wai-Fan, and emphasise themes of contrast, urban squalor, youthful optimism, and alienation. The film as been called "deliberate and brooding".
References
Durian Durian WikipediaDurian Durian IMDb Durian Durian themoviedb.org