Main Cast: Andy Lau, Carina Liu, Carrie Ng, Fong Bo-bo
Release Year: 1994
Country: HK
Run Time: 100 minutes
Plot
Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Yee's highly lauded and sentimental tearjerker swept the 1993 Hong Kong Film Awards and was warmly embraced by audiences due to its well-developed characters and exceptional performances. Anita Yuen stands out as Min, an ebullient young woman who came from a street-singing family and now lives in a broken-down apartment house. Her upstairs neighbor is Kit (Lau Ching-wan), an aspiring songwriter who has just broken up with his fiancée, a successful singer (Carina Lau). Kit knows that his perky downstairs neighbor has the charisma and talent necessary to become a star herself; he is re-energized by the prospect of shepherding her career and begins falling in love with her. Unfortunately, Min's childhood bone cancer -- which had been in complete remission for a decade -- returns and she soon finds her declining health sapping most of her excitement for both life and her career. Kit devotes himself entirely to getting Min back on her feet, setting the stage for the obligatory weepy denouement. Despite its "Disease of the Week" story line, Yee (who also wrote the screenplay) never allows his film to become trite or maudlin, and his strong cast (notably Yuen and Lau, Hong Kong's Best Actress and Actor winners of 1993 for their performances) never overplay the material. Paul Chun and Petrina Fung took home awards in the supporting categories, ably backed up by Carrie Ng, Sylvia Chang, and Jamie Luk. Herman Yau appears in a cameo. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
The movie is sometimes referred to as C'est la vie, mon chérie even though this is grammatically incorrect in French (either "mon chéri" for a man or "ma chérie" for a woman is grammatically correct).
The original Chinese title refers to the classic 1961Hong Kong filmLove Without End (不了情) starring Lin Dai, with the word "new" (新) added in front of it. The storyline is similar, in that the female lead character is also diagnosed with a fatal illness.
An alternative English title is Endless Love or C'est La Vie Man Chesi.
Plot
Min (Anita Yuen), a street singer who is part of a street opera troupe and part-time cover artiste, meets Kit (Lau Ching-Wan), a struggling jazz musician who has just broken up with his girlfriend (Carina Lau). Through her bubbly personality, she affects Kit for the better. However, just as their relationship begins to stabilize and win acceptance from Min's family, Min is diagnosed with cancer.
