Clocking in at a run-time of 156 minutes, Lust, Caution is a film that demands a lot of your time and attention. This isn’t a film which you can simply pop on in the background while you do the cleaning or your exercise routine. This is a film which gives the viewer the same satisfaction that they would receive after reading a great piece of literature. A vast feeling of enjoyment and pleasure.
The plot unravels itself slowly and the tension is unbearable at points. We are privy to certain knowledge before the characters are and this leaves us in a position of power. But it is uncomfortable, which is why Lust, Caution is so divisive even before we address the issue of those sex scenes.
From the very start of the film, we are with Wong Chia-Chi (Tang Wei) and watch her as she grows from a sweet, shy, innocent school girl into a femme fatal. Seeing this level of character development especially with a female character is still highly unusual in 2019.
Chia-Chi is a character who seems innocent at first, a virgin who seems more taken by the prospect of pretending to be a member of high society rather than a freedom fighter. However, as she becomes drawn to the mysterious Mr. Yee (Tony Leung), Chia-Chi adopts the persona of Mrs. Mak, a woman who is confident and aware of her power over Mr. Yee.
“There’s something somewhat beautiful about this character’s development and the sexual politics at play.”
There’s something somewhat beautiful about this character’s development and the sexual politics at play. Lust, Caution is the film that 50 Shades of Grey so desperately wanted to emulate but failed to even capture the same level of sophistication of Ang Lee’s highly under-appreciated masterpiece.
Lust, Caution is a film that should be seen by as many people as possible. However, it’s explicit and somewhat problematic sex scenes make this film very hard to sell even before acknowledging the fact that it is in a foreign language and is nearly three hours long.
The film opens slowly. It’s 1942, and the world at war. Asia has become a battleground with the Japanese empire invading various countries. You wouldn’t realize this was the case in the Yee household where a Mah-Jongg game taking place. Various women, including Mrs. Yee (Joan Chen), sit around a table, gossipping. Outside the front door, a whole war rages on and hungry people line up around the block for rice. Inside the house, the game continues.
Mr. Yee returns to the house unexpectedly and the women seem nervous and slightly jittery. This is a man who commands respect from everyone around him. Mr. Yee is a complicated character to say the least. On the surface, he’s a cold-hearted collaborator, who handles the interrogations and tortures of his countrymen by the hands of the Japanese who have invaded China. But there’s a flash of insecurity that Leung lets on in his performance.
“The ten minutes of sex scenes were considered by Lee to be critical to the story and reportedly took 100 hours to shoot.”
We see the mysterious Mrs. Mak share a glance with Mr. Yee. There’s lust in their eyes. Mrs. Mak is actually living a life in secret. She is Wong Chia Chi, a woman who is driven by something more than just lust.
Lee cuts to a flashback to reveal how during one summer vacation Chia Chi became involved with a group of radical Chinese patriots. And takes a key role in their hope of assassinating one of the Chinese who are working with the Japanese. The group is run by Kuang Yu Min (Wang Leehom) who also seems to be drawn to Chia-chi.
She nearly gets her chance to seduce Mr. Yee, but things don’t go according to plan. It isn’t until a few years later that she becomes his lover. But the question is whether there is any actual love shared between the two? Or, whether this is just a relationship driven by a primal sense of lust.
The ten minutes of sex scenes were considered by Lee to be critical to the story and reportedly took 100 hours to shoot. When asked to edit the sex scenes to avoid the NC-17 rating, Lee quite properly refused and was backed all the way by James Schamus, his co-writer and also, significantly, head of Focus Features, which is releasing the film.
These scenes are indeed shocking for the viewer. We are met with the sight of full frontal nudity, with both Wei and Leung appearing so vulnerable on the screen. Lee is right, These scenes are vital to the story, and without them then the story just wouldn’t be as truthful or as complex.
“What Lee manages to do with Lust, Caution is tap into the darkness and sexual desires that lie in us all.”
The sex scenes are intense, especially the first time these two lovers have intercourse. Mr. Yee’s treatment of Mak/Chia Chi is sadistic, and uncomfortable to watch as he roughly grabs her hair and using his belt to bind her wrists. Lee doesn’t shy away from this and doesn’t eroticize it either. Many less capable directors would have made the sex scenes the main focus of this film, but this is a study into human nature and character development. Slowly the balance of power switches from Mr. Yee to Mrs. Mak and it is Mr. Yee who is revealed to be the truly vulnerable person in the relationship.
What Lee manages to do with Lust, Caution is tap into the darkness and sexual desires that lie in us all. In an interview, Lee stated that he was attracted to the story’s theme of cruelty “Because of its honesty. It had something fresh and strong to us. It’s the other side of yourself, something hiding in the dark that you don’t want to be exposed. It takes boldness to expose it.”
Bold is certainly a word to describe Lust, Caution. In fact, there are several words to describe this film: stunning, beautiful, intense, emotional and mesmerizing. There really isn’t another film quite like it. Lee is a filmmaker who understands the power of pure visual storytelling. Lust, Caution is a near perfect film with strong performances and a well-crafted narrative. Yes, it demands your time and attention but the most important thing to consider is the fact that it deserves it.
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