Isabella
Isabella (Yi sa bui lai) is a 2006 Hong Kong film written and directed by Ho-Cheung Pang. It takes place in Macau and stars the beautiful Isabella Leong and Chapman To. The film begins abruptly with Chen-Shing Ma (Chapman To) attempting to pick up Bik-Yan Cheung (Leong) in some dark corner of a bustling club. It quickly cycles through a series of images including Bik-Yan smoking a cigarette down an unknown hallway, a close-up of a defeated Chen-Shing hunkered against a slot machine, and an ant’s eye view between some unfamiliar buildings before the title card appears.
The shots feel disjointed but not only do they give an idea of what is to come but they showcase the talented eye of cinematographer Charlie Lam and his excellent framing. The music is also introduced here with artsy guitar strumming and piano playing. Now while the score won best film music at the Berlin International Film Festival, I feel that it grows repetitious later as it never changes in tempo. Read more…