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SHANGHAI PANIC Director/ Producer：Andrew Cheng |
Based on Mian Mian's novel We Are Panic, the film introduces us to the seldom-heard stories of the hot-and-bothered lost youth of Shanghai . Bei worries that he has HIV and confides in his street-savvy friends, Kika (played by Mian Mian herself), Fifi and Casper . Ignorant about AIDS and scared, the four spend their time getting high, roaming the streets of Shanghai and sharing stories of attempted suicide and love. After bonding, the friends reject fear and take Bei to the clinic for an HIV test. With a negative result in hand, Bei pursues his old friend Jie and tries to convince him to be his lover. The two men spend a weekend at a house that Kika loans them. Sharing a hot tub and the luxurious flat spurs Bei's longings, but Jie just wants to be friends. Meanwhile, on the Bund, Shanghai 's famous waterfront, Kika declares that she's tired of men, and her two dyke friends tell her to try women. With Kika's response (“Lesbians are even more annoying than men; they have the weaknesses of both sexes”), her two friends laugh and kiss. Shot with a small crew, this debut film from Cheng is an example of the explosion of diverse voices coming out of China today.
Awards:
2002, the 21 st Vancouver International Films Festival, “Dragons And Tigers Award”
