..
Smoke 'em if ya got 'em.
Director: Pang Ho-Cheung, Screenwriters: Pang Ho-Cheung, Heiward Mak, Producer: Subi Liang, Cast: Miriam Yeung, Shawn Yue, Cheung Tat-Ming, Miao Felin, Vincent Kok, Jo Koo
Review:
I
don't smoke, but I live with a smoker, so I understand all the little
rituals that go along with the habit. Sure, there's that sinking feeling of being
ostracized from the rest of society, but with that aspect can come a real sense of
community amongst fellow smokers. Also, an addiction to cigarettes
requires taking habitual smoke breaks with a friend or even a group of friends
-- and it's in these stolen little moments where people can gossip,
share secrets, or just talk with someone privately.
If anything, this is the aspect of smoking that Pang Ho-Cheung captures beautifully in Love in a Puff.
Billed as a romantic comedy, this 2010 film spotlights the plight of
smokers in Hong Kong, while focusing its attention on two would-be
lovers played by Miriam Yeung and Shawn Yue. The film takes place in
February 2009 -- a crucial time period just after the Hong Kong Health Authority
enforced a ban on smoking in any inside area but just before cigarette
prices went up astronomically. Within this narrative frame, Love in a Puff
amounts to a sometimes funny, sometimes tedious week-long journey into a
burgeoning relationship between two smokers. While following these two
characters, we're plunged headlong into the world of several hip (and
not-so hip) urbanites as they try to find love in a pool of alcohol and a
fog of smoke.
