''Durian Durian'' () is a

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

Hong Kong film The cinema of Hong Kong ( zh, t=香港電影) is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China and the cinema of Taiwan. As a former British colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of pol ...

directed by

Fruit Chan Fruit Chan Gor (; born 15 April 1959) is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker who is best known for his style of film reflecting the everyday life of Hong Kong people. He is well known for using amateur actors (such as Sam Lee in '' Made in H ...

. The film portrays the experiences of a young girl, Fan ( Mak Wai-Fan), and her

sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work i ...

neighbour, Yan (

Qin Hailu Qin Hailu (, born 11 August 1978) is a Chinese actress, screenwriter and singer. She has won Best Actress at the Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards, Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award and Golden Bauhinia Awards. Early life and education ...

), in Hong Kong.

Plot

Yan is a prostitute from the mainland in Hong Kong, living near Fan and her family, who is staying in the area illegally. Yan meets Fan in a laneway behind

Portland Street Portland Street is a popular street in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The street is known for its business and retailing skyscraper complex Langham Place, numerous restaurants and its red-light district. Geography Running north-south and parallel to (an ...

and become friends after Yan's pimp is assaulted in front of Fan by an assailant wielding a durian fruit. Yan services dozens of clients per day and showers compulsively. After her 3-month-stay in Hong Kong, Yan returns to her family and her ex-

fiancé An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

in Northeast China to invest what she has earned. Yan remains in contact with Fan, receiving a durian from her as a gift.

Cast

- Qin Yan * Mak Wai-Fan - Fan * Mak Suet-Man - Man * Yeung Mei-Kam - Fan's mother * Chang Kin-Yung - Policeman

Production

Fan was featured in ''

Little Cheung Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

'', a film which also deals with poverty and life as an immigrant. This film also centres upon

in Kowloon. Chan became interested in the topic of prostitution while filming ''Little Cheung'' in Kowloon, where he met and interviewed various prostitutes. While filming in

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

, Chan found the

public toilets A public toilet, restroom, public bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils ...

to be terrible and very different. This served as inspiration for his next film ''Public Toilet'' (2002).

Reception

In addition to numerous awards, the film has received critical acclaim. Reviews have praised Chan and actresses Qin Hailu and Mak Wai-Fan, and emphasise themes of contrast, urban squalor, youthful optimism, and alienation. The film has been called "deliberate and brooding".

Awards

At the

20th Hong Kong Film Awards Ceremony for the 20th Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 29 April 2001 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and hosted by Eric Tsang, Carol Cheng, Gigi Leung and Eric Ng. Eighteen winners in eighteen categories were unveiled. The year's biggest winner ...

in 2001, ''Durian Durian'' was nominated for the Best Film, Best Director (Fruit Chan), Best Screenplay (Fruit Chan), Best Actress (

), Best New Performer (

) and Best Art Direction ( Tin Muk) awards. It won the awards for Best Film and Best New Performer. It was awarded Best Film at the 2001

Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards The Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards () are the annual awards given by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in Hong Kong since 1994. The awards are determined by votes cast in three rounds after a substantial discussion session between the mem ...

. The film also won the Best Picture award at the 38th

Golden Horse Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is u ...

, with Qin winning the Best Actress and Best New Performer awards.

References

External links

Official Site
* *

Durian Durian at letterboxd.com

Liu lian piao piao (2000) AKA Durian Durian at rarefilmm.com
{{Fruit Chan Hong Kong films 2000 films 2000s Cantonese-language films Films directed by Fruit Chan Films set in Shenzhen