Master of Film

Director Ang Lee finds himself in his films

STORY SUMMARY »

The New York Times says Ang Lee's new film, "Lust, Caution," would be better titled "Caution: Lust," and calls it "a sleepy, musty period drama about wartime maneuvers and bedroom calisthenics, and the misguided use of a solid director."

The Associated Press calls it "overwrought and overlong," but also notes beautiful passages and performances, in the end acknowledging: "... any film from Lee simply cannot be disregarded in simple terms; he once again proves he's a master of mood and complexity of character, whether or not you're up for the challenge."

"Lust," filmed on a modest budget of under $15 million, won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival. It is as controversial for its sexual calisthenics as Lee's Oscar-winning 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain," although reviewers have said that "Lust, Caution" -- which is rated NC-17 -- makes "Brokeback" look totally PG.

The film's debut in China has been delayed, Variety reported last week, because of concerns by censors.

All commentary inevitably turns to Lee, known for his deep and often painful observations of sexual desire and repression ("The Ice Storm," "The Wedding Banquet" and "Sense and Sensibility" all proceeded "Brokeback").

Filming the explicit scenes in "Lust, Caution" was harrowing, Lee told the New York Times. "We could only shoot for half the day because we'd be exhausted. I almost went insane."

But he was convinced of the necessity of the sex scenes. "They're like the fight sequences in 'Crouching Tiger,'" he said. "It's life and death. ... And it's part of the plot, since it's all about acting, levels of acting. You're performing when you have sex."

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Most films and works of fiction are flimsy pieces of entertainment, designed to amuse temporarily, then quickly devoured and discarded. But every once in a while, a story latches onto heart, mind and soul and doesn't let go. Those engaged with the work are left with a vague, nagging sense of longing, loss or sadness, and the only way to exorcise those feelings is to tell themselves, "It's just a story," and move on.

"Lust, Caution" Rated NC-17 Now playing at Consolidated Ward and Regal Dole Cannery

For Ang Lee, there is no moving on except to respond through telling the story on his own terms. It's what drew him to turning Annie Proulx's short story, "Brokeback Mountain," into a feature film that won him the Academy and Golden Globe awards for best director, and to follow the award-winning film with another adaptation.

His latest work, "Lust, Caution," opened Friday. It's based on the short story "Se Jie," written by Eileen Chang, who studied literature in Hong Kong but returned to Shanghai in 1941 at age 21.

Her story is set during the WWII Japanese occupation of Shanghai, during which thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were tortured and killed by Japanese armies. Wong Chia Chi (Tang Wei) is an ordinary Chinese college drama student asked to take on a dangerous role in real life, befriending the wife (Joan Chen) of Mr. Yee (Tony Leung), a Chinese official collaborating with the Japanese, so that Wong Chia Chi's collaborators can kill him.

If "Brokeback Mountain" touched hearts because of its tragic tale of love forbidden by social mores, "Lust, Caution" is said to take a purely cynical view of romance, as merely a game played out between actors.

"I'm always searching for truth that hides in the subconscious," Lee said. "I've found over time that on the surface I'm a bright person, easy-going," he said, in reference to his warm, even disposition.

"But there's the other side of me that I'm looking for, to understand myself and the world," the director said from a taxi cab in New York Friday night, after landing at the airport following a promotional tour in L.A. By Monday, he would be in Taiwan for a second promotional blitz.

"Lust, Caution" opened in Asia before the United States, and Lee said he's been happy with the response.

"It had an overwhelming response in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Here, it's been pretty good. The first group to see it has been Asian.

"It's a very emotional film for me, very personal because it's about my parents' generation, about a subject that matters to Chinese people. It's a sad history told from the feminine perspective of war, which is unusual."

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In the West, critics are divided between those who consider it ponderous and those who deem it seductive. Many reviewers have used the word "dark" to describe the film, but Lee doesn't like using that word, choosing to call it "melancholy."

Rather than see filmmaking as a matter of tackling his own fears about subjects that may be violent, terrifying or unknown, Lee says he didn't set out to deliberately confront ever bleaker sides of human nature. His storytelling merely represents his journey as a director.

Each film represents "something I care about a lot, for the time being," he said. "I follow wherever my heart leads me. I try not to get too analytical about it. I don't want to lose the mystery or creative juice."

It's obvious he's able to leave each work behind as he completes it, speaking lightly of "The Wedding Banquet," the first film that drew him attention from the West, as a "little comedy of manners and social satire."

During the promotional tour for "Brokeback Mountain," he said his mind was already deeply wrapped around "Lust, Caution."

"By the second half of the tour, I was already getting out of ('Brokeback'). Talking about it, rationalizing what I do, I had explored the whole life of the film, and that's not a bad period of time to move on to the next one."

At this point, the famed director finds himself somewhat at a loss, with no immediate project in mind.

"People usually throw me a lot of material. If there are any elements or combination of elements that appeal to me, I probably would do it, but nothing compels me at the moment."

It's not due to any sense of exhaustion or lack of trying to find something worthwhile. He'd rather be working than not.

"When I'm between movies, I see my family, I clean house, I don't know what to do," he said.

Perhaps a Hawaii vacation would be the perfect break.

"Maybe that's a good idea."