We follow the lives of five isolated and desperately lonely people who will cling to anything that will make them Feel.
One is a Hit-man (Leon Lai) who does his job in a messy but workmanlike fashion. He kills several people at once, then he switches off the light as he leaves and hops a bus to go home, just like those who work 9-5. On one of these bus rides, he is recognised by an old friend from school, whose 'normal life' reminds him of how much he hates his own. He wants to get out, but he doesn't know how to do anything else.
Another is the Partner of the Hit-man (Michelle Reis), who sets up his jobs for him and cleans his flat when he's not there. They have never met but she develops an obsession with him that includes taking his garbage home and rifling through it, going to his favourite bar and sitting in his favourite seat, and masturbating on his bed, because it makes her feel close to him. He is aware of what she's doing, but doesn't know how to handle it. He arranges to met her but can't bring himself to show up.
A third character is a Man-Child (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who lost his voice eating a can of rotten pineapple. He roams the streets at night, breaking into shops and imagining he is working there. He also forces goods and services on people, who as often as not give him money just to get rid of him. He lives with his father in a small and stuffy apartment in a large and run-down building that also houses Michelle Reis's character. They know each other by sight, but they never speak.
The fourth main character is a Girl (Charlie Young) who finds out over the phone that the man she loves is marrying someone else. In her rage and brokenness, she latches on to the Man-Child, who then fancies himself in love with her. She is all he has. But just as quickly as she appears, she leaves. Later he sees her on the street, cleaned-up and apparently leading a better life. He tries to get her attention but she ignores him. She doesn't want to be reminded.
The fifth character (Karen Mok) is a bleached blonde who is close to having a nervous breakdown. In an otherwise empty McDonalds, she insinuates herself on the Hit-man, who it turns out was once her lover. He doesn't recognise her, which seems to be the story of her life. He tells her straight out that he doesn't want anything other than a companion for the night, and in the absence of anything better, she agrees. She imagines she will woo him into changing his mind and staying with her.
This film left me with an internal atmosphere I couldn't shake for days. It's claustrophobic, meandering, chaotic and at times very indulgent, but overall it's a sad, moving study of loss and emptiness, and people's inability to connect with others.
One is a Hit-man (Leon Lai) who does his job in a messy but workmanlike fashion. He kills several people at once, then he switches off the light as he leaves and hops a bus to go home, just like those who work 9-5. On one of these bus rides, he is recognised by an old friend from school, whose 'normal life' reminds him of how much he hates his own. He wants to get out, but he doesn't know how to do anything else.
Another is the Partner of the Hit-man (Michelle Reis), who sets up his jobs for him and cleans his flat when he's not there. They have never met but she develops an obsession with him that includes taking his garbage home and rifling through it, going to his favourite bar and sitting in his favourite seat, and masturbating on his bed, because it makes her feel close to him. He is aware of what she's doing, but doesn't know how to handle it. He arranges to met her but can't bring himself to show up.
A third character is a Man-Child (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who lost his voice eating a can of rotten pineapple. He roams the streets at night, breaking into shops and imagining he is working there. He also forces goods and services on people, who as often as not give him money just to get rid of him. He lives with his father in a small and stuffy apartment in a large and run-down building that also houses Michelle Reis's character. They know each other by sight, but they never speak.
The fourth main character is a Girl (Charlie Young) who finds out over the phone that the man she loves is marrying someone else. In her rage and brokenness, she latches on to the Man-Child, who then fancies himself in love with her. She is all he has. But just as quickly as she appears, she leaves. Later he sees her on the street, cleaned-up and apparently leading a better life. He tries to get her attention but she ignores him. She doesn't want to be reminded.
The fifth character (Karen Mok) is a bleached blonde who is close to having a nervous breakdown. In an otherwise empty McDonalds, she insinuates herself on the Hit-man, who it turns out was once her lover. He doesn't recognise her, which seems to be the story of her life. He tells her straight out that he doesn't want anything other than a companion for the night, and in the absence of anything better, she agrees. She imagines she will woo him into changing his mind and staying with her.
This film left me with an internal atmosphere I couldn't shake for days. It's claustrophobic, meandering, chaotic and at times very indulgent, but overall it's a sad, moving study of loss and emptiness, and people's inability to connect with others.