Rouge

This evocative 1987 ghost story from Hong Kong, directed by Stanley Kwan, opens in the present, when a female ghost (Anita Mui) dressed in the style of a courtesan of the 30s turns up at the classified department of a newspaper, searching for her lover of half a century ago (Leslie Cheung). The young head of the department takes her home, where he encounters the wrath of his girlfriend. Eventually the young couple become enmeshed in the ghost’s search, which leads to an account of what happened in the mid-30s. Visually graceful and strongly atmospheric, this is one of the best Hong Kong films I’ve seen, though Kwan surpassed it in 1991 with Actress. (JR)

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