Directed by Tracy Choi and written by Shiu-Wa Lou and Sebrina Zheng, Lok, a 34-year-old filmmaker from Macau, has been drifting through Hong Kong’s film industry. Although she has already directed a feature film, her life remains unstable, her next project has stalled, and her girlfriend Bei Bei is pushing for them to get married, buy a house, and settle down. Facing multiple pressures, Lok revisits different moments in her past: when she was studying in Taiwan aged 22, and when she was growing up in Macau aged 17. Starring: Fish Liew Chi-Yu, Jennifer Yu, Elizabeth Tang, Han Ning, Natalie Hsu, Eliz Lao and Emilia Chen.
Taking a wander through relationships past to try and bring some perspective to your current situation and to figure out what you actually want is a classic concept. That’s for good reason as it’s a nice idea to get to know the character through the experiences and decisions that shaped them into the person we find at the beginning of the film. It works and it’s enjoyable but with Girlfriends, it’s not making the most of it.
The story plays out well enough, it all makes sense, but it’s simply far too brooding. All throughout Girlfriends there’s this cloud of fret, it never truly relaxes and just has fun. It’s all well and good to have that air of trepidation, but it needs to let up at some point. Unfortunately, the consequence of that is the tone feels flat. No matter what decade we see Lok (Fish Liew Chi-Yu [34], Elizabeth Tang [22]& Natalie Hsu [17]) in she has that doom and gloom, although at her youngest, it’s not quite as strong, as the naivety and youth does try to perk things up a bit. Matched with its fairly slow pacing, it makes it difficult to settle into, and it struggles to build up momentum.
It’s a shame as the performances are solid all around, it’s a charming group of actors. With each different relationship, they all have great chemistry and an organic connection. It’s also a good representation of lesbian relationships, and the writing captures a number of different realistic, relatable obstacles and typical tensions. The direction is similarly consistent, good work, the cinematography is nicely done throughout, and it holds an honest atmosphere.
Girlfriends has a lovely concept and fantastic intentions to explore lesbian relationships and how each one shapes who Lok is. It’s a great ensemble and there’s a terrific connection between each iteration of Lok, they create that feel of continuity rather than just three separate performances. There are plenty of good elements but it’s being held back by the tone. It’s lacking energy, vibrancy and a bigger personality, despite Lok’s strident qualities. There’s a lethargy to its pacing, making its ups and downs lack impact. It’s got a lot of genuine emotion but simply struggles to connect more strongly.
FilmCarnage.com 