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Lan Yu

Play trailer Poster for Lan Yu R Released Nov 22, 2001 1h 27m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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68% Tomatometer 38 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Beijing, 1988. On the cusp of middle age, Chen Handong (Hu Jun) has known little but success all his life. The eldest son of a senior government bureaucrat, he heads a fast-growing trading company and plays as hard as he works. Few know that Handong's tastes run more to boys than girls. Chen develops a relationship with a young boy named Lan Yu (Ye Liu) that goes farther than he ever wanted it to.
Lan Yu

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A well-crafted love story, but it may be too simplistic for some.

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Critics Reviews

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Ryan Gilbey Guardian Aches with melancholy. Rated: 5/5 Sep 11, 2023 Full Review David Ansen Newsweek It's a wise, moving love story--marred only by a rather arbitrary twist of fate at the end--played out with an emotional honesty that would be unusual and adventurous in any language. Mar 31, 2008 Full Review Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer Hu and Liu offer natural, matter-of-fact performances that glint with sorrow, longing and love. Rated: 3/4 Jan 16, 2003 Full Review Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse "Lan Yu" exhibits the usual issues of Kwan's cinema, but the portrayal of the relationship, the acting, and the cinematography are so great, that the faults are barely noticeable in the end, in a rather excellent movie. Rated: 6.5/10 Sep 12, 2021 Full Review Jason Gorber Film Scouts This film takes the Tienanmen massacre as its subtle backdrop, so subtle that it all happens though sounds heard off-screen. Rated: B+ Jun 21, 2007 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews A gay love story based on an anonymous Internet novel. Rated: B Sep 27, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (99) audience reviews
Audience Member tragic romance love the performance Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Just like the author who wrote the original story, he was telling the story only, with no intention to impress anyone. Being exposed to such a powerful love story feels like experiencing the eruption of a dormant volcano. One second you are stilling standing on a safe ground, the next second you are shaking and trembling, being wrapped by our own emotional movement but have nowhere to escape. This is a soul-waking, classic and impeccable film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Lan Yu was apparently shot in secret, which would probably explain the look of the film. Apart from the circumstances in which it was made, the film does not break any new ground, and is rather conventionally melodramatic. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member the screenwriting and editing needed the touch of someone with higher caliber. it reached for the heights of brokeback mountain, but ultimately ended up short. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member liu ye and hu jun's acting save the whole story! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member great cast, really supports the whole story. the plot however is kind of weak and flat. The cinematography turns the script into a nice work and the cliche formula of the genre is sophisticatedly adjusted with the new twist of criticism of the rapid modernisation of mainland China. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Lan Yu

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Lan Yu

Scene from the film "Lan yu." Liu Ye stars as the lead character, LAN YU in Stanley Kwan's romantic drama set in Beijing, 1988. Hu Jun stars as Chen Handong, the handsome businessman who falls in love with LAN YU. Liu Ye (right) as Lan Yu and Hu Jun (left) as Chen Handong, the lovers in Stanley Kwan's romantic drama, LAN YU. Scene from the film "Lan yu." Scene from the film "Lan yu." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Beijing, 1988. On the cusp of middle age, Chen Handong (Hu Jun) has known little but success all his life. The eldest son of a senior government bureaucrat, he heads a fast-growing trading company and plays as hard as he works. Few know that Handong's tastes run more to boys than girls. Chen develops a relationship with a young boy named Lan Yu (Ye Liu) that goes farther than he ever wanted it to.
Director
Stanley Kwan Kam-Pang
Producer
Yongning Zhang
Screenwriter
Jimmy Ngai
Distributor
Strand Releasing
Production Co
Yongning Creation Workshop
Rating
R (Strong Sexual Content|Some Language|Nudity)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 22, 2001, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
Mar 1, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA)
$116.2K
Runtime
1h 27m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)