Sik ching nam lui

An out-of-work director agrees to make an erotic film against his will so he can pay the bills. But if he is going to do it, it's going to be HIS way.

I bet that's the one-liner directors Derek Yee and Lo Chi-Leung gave executives that got them the green light.

Viva Erotica is maybe the first serious film that gets away with showing female breasts and still being a magnificent work of art - at least that I know of.

The film satirizes the film industry's (Hong Kong's and global) obsession with sex in a very original way: by making a sex film.

Directors Derek Yee and Lo Chi-Leung also wrote the script, with Ka Man being a third writer. Most of the credit goes to them for the innovative premise and great execution, but the cast doesn't fall short either, especially Leslie Cheung as Kwok-Wing, Karen Mok as Man-Wai, and Shu Qi as Mango (particularly Shu Qi as Mango!).

Simply put: one of the best films I have ever watched.

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.

Enjoyable and likable movie about the making of a soft core sex movie in Hong Kong. Probably gets it's Cat3 rating for one particular scene in a telephone box but there are plenty of sexy, touching, inspiring and thought provoking moments. The film maker has his own personal problems as well as the 'artistic' considerations to deal with. There is also the question of the (lovely) leading lady who wants to do the sex film without nude scenes. Played by Shu Qi in only her second film, this is a very fine performance and much of the film's sparkle emanates from the way she deals with her own coming to terms with the sex scenes. She complains that if she makes her orgasmic scenes more 'real' then people watching will think they are real. Good point and just one of the contradictions in this deceptively simple little film. Returning to that scene in the telephone box, for instance, where in order to get the scene as wanted and on the street, the guy goes at it for real tearing off dress and bra. She 'acts' terrified and the passers by roar approval and disapproval as the sexy 'rape' is enacted before all our eyes. An interesting movie that is well worth a watch.

"Viva, Erotica" (English title) is a smart, bizarre, entertaining film which plays with genre and the boundaries between parody, drama, and pornography. Never taking itself too seriously--but never content to simply dismiss itself--this movie portrays the emotional life of a Hong Kong director with just the right mix of sentimentality and meta-theatrical humor.

The film will leave you endlessly questioning your own reactions.

Well, I expected more from this given the acclaim it gets but it's got that trippy, over the top thing that many Hong Kong movies tend to have and it doesn't agree with me. Watched it for Leslie and to see what Shu Qi's risque scenes were all about. I guess you could say she fitted perfectly into the story and Leslie gets the meatiest role as the lead and we already know he can act. The only thing that lingered with me was Director Yee's gesture and how that affects Sing in a scene and sadly the parallel to the actor's choice a few years later. I can't help feeling it was a little prophetic, but of course we tend to read into things.