''Durian Durian'' () is a

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

Hong Kong film The cinema of Hong Kong ( zh, t=香港電影) is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China and the cinema of Taiwan. As a former British colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of pol ...

directed by

Fruit Chan Fruit Chan Gor (; born 15 April 1959) is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker who is best known for his style of film reflecting the everyday life of Hong Kong people. He is well known for using amateur actors (such as Sam Lee in '' Made in H ...

. The film portrays the experiences of a young girl, Fan ( Mak Wai-Fan), and her

sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work i ...

neighbour, Yan (

Qin Hailu Qin Hailu (, born 11 August 1978) is a Chinese actress, screenwriter and singer. She has won Best Actress at the Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards, Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award and Golden Bauhinia Awards. Early life and education ...

), in Hong Kong.

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 Yan's pimp is assaulted in front of Fan by an assailant wielding a

durian The durian (, ) is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognised ''Durio'' species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. '' Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the on ...

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-

fiancé An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

in Northeast China to invest what she has earned. Yan remains in contact with Fan, receiving a durian from her as a gift.

Cast

- Qin Yan * Mak Wai-Fan - Fan * Mak Suet-Man - Man * Yeung Mei-Kam - Fan's mother * Chang Kin-Yung - Policeman

Production

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 Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and ...

. Chan became interested in the topic of prostitution while filming ''Little Cheung'' in Kowloon, where he met and interviewed various prostitutes. While filming in

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...

, Chan found the

public toilets A public toilet, restroom, public bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils ...

to be terrible and very different. This served as inspiration for his next film ''Public Toilet'' (2002).

Reception

In addition to numerous awards, the film has received critical acclaim. Reviews have praised Chan and actresses Qin Hailu and Mak Wai-Fan, and emphasise themes of contrast, urban squalor, youthful optimism, and alienation. The film has been called "deliberate and brooding".

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 (

), Best New Performer (

) and Best Art Direction (

Tin Muk Tin is a chemical element with the Chemical symbol, symbol Sn (from la, :la:Stannum, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal. Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand wit ...

) 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 The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is u ...

, with Qin winning the Best Actress and Best New Performer awards.

References

External links

Official Site
* *

Durian Durian at letterboxd.com

Liu lian piao piao (2000) AKA Durian Durian at rarefilmm.com
{{Fruit Chan Hong Kong films 2000 films 2000s Cantonese-language films Films directed by Fruit Chan Films set in Shenzhen