Following the massive international success of 2005's BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, acclaimed Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee turned his lens to another period adaptation, this time to Eileen Chang's 1979 novella "Lust Caution." Inspired by a true story and set in Hong Kong and Shanghai during 1938-1942, the hyper-erotic romantic drama received the dreaded NC-17 rating in the US (and was eitehr banned or censored in several Asian countries) when it was released in 2007 because of its highly charged scenes of sexuality.

An intense story and strong performances are buoyed by the quiet yet lush and authentic production value that has become Lee's trademark. At its core, the film is very much a daring spy thriller that follows a secret agent (Tang Wei) whose task is to seduce, then assassinate an official (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) who works for the Japanese puppet government. Her mission becomes clouded when she finds herself falling in love with the man she is assigned to kill. With Joan Chen.

"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." (Filmotomy)

"'Lust, Caution' is so ambitious and detailed that you'll never be bored." (The Stranger)

"Lust - the word that speaks of inflamed passions, repressed longing and seriously naughty sex stands ill at ease with this rather languid exploration of freedom fighting during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai in the early 1940s." (Eye for Film)

"You leave the theatre a trifle exhausted but rewarded by a resonance few films possess." (London Evening Standard)

Thursday, July 17
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:25 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

LUST, CAUTION "Se, jie" (Ang Lee, 2007 / 18A / 157 mins / English subtitles) During World War II era, a young woman gets swept up in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue with a powerful political figure, Mr. Yee.