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Lan Yu

Play trailer Poster for Lan Yu R 2001 1h 27m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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68% Tomatometer 38 Reviews 84% 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.
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Lan Yu

Lan Yu

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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 09/11/2023
5/5
Aches with melancholy. Go to Full Review David Ansen Newsweek 03/31/2008
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. Go to Full Review Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer 01/16/2003
3/4
Hu and Liu offer natural, matter-of-fact performances that glint with sorrow, longing and love. Go to Full Review Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse 09/12/2021
6.5/10
"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. Go to Full Review Jason Gorber Film Scouts 06/21/2007
B+
This film takes the Tienanmen massacre as its subtle backdrop, so subtle that it all happens though sounds heard off-screen. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 09/27/2006
B
A gay love story based on an anonymous Internet novel. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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JJ K @RT00928814 07/16/2025 The actors captured the very essence of reality. Real people and real behaviours in a Chinese setting. Non Asians will never understand the poignant embodiment of each character that didn’t cater to the Western ideals and expectations. even the supporting casts did so well! Kudos to the Director of this iconiv movie See more Leprechaun K @LeprechaunKing 05/11/2025 Great performances by Liu and Hu. A tragic love story that is raw and unapologetic. See more 捍东 陈 @RT76378389 02/09/2025 touched me a lot. Happy 24 years!!🩵🩵🩵 See more 09/07/2016 tragic romance love the performance See more 01/01/2015 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. See more 07/29/2012 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. See more Read all reviews
Lan Yu

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Cast & Crew

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Stanley Kwan Kam-Pang

Director

Jun Hu

Chen Handong

Ye Liu

Lan Yu

Su Jin

Lin Jingping

Li Huatong

Liu Zheng

Lu Fang

Yonghong

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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." 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." Lan Yu (2001) 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)