‘My Heart Is That Eternal Rose’ (1989) Review – The Beautiful Brokenness Of Film

The Hong Kong New Wave Cinema has had its influence on many directors. It’s that pulpy, dreamy feel, those saturated deep tones, catchy snap-fast dialogue, the attractive actors, the lingering or tracking shots, the extreme close-ups, and the intertwining character dynamics that have caught the attention of great directors like Quentin Tarantino, Barry Jenkins, and Sofia Coppola.

Patrick Tam’s My Heart Is That Eternal Rose is a masterfully plotted narrative filled with characters constantly in motion that devolves into a neon-colored dream-turned-nightmare. A summer delivery of a young man that goes completely wrong, this story of melodramatic deaths and sacrifice brings to mind golden age Hollywood melodramas and authentic Hong Kong filmmaking. A gangster asks a redeemed transporter and bar owner to smuggle his son, but when the ordeal goes wrong, the ruthless gangster captures the transporter. As torment and pain await, his beautiful daughter makes a sacrifice by going to a rival gangster, asking for his protection in exchange for her becoming his mistress. As inspiration is a bit of a mystery in Asian cinema and it seems more like the circular motion of ripples rather than a seed that blossoms into a full idea, Tam’s film goes full circle in on itself like a snake eating its tail – lovers are meeting after years of separation, intense situations go dramatically wrong with bloody aftermath. He captures an overall sense of loneliness and detachment from the maddening crowd in the fast-paced city, something most Hong Kong New Wave directors excel at.

Tam listed Bresson, Godard, Renoir, Murnau, and the Cantonese Cinema produced by Hong Kong’s Union Film Enterprise as his influences. In his meticulously shot film, with wonderful acting from Kenny Bee, Tony Leung, and Joey Wang, all of his cinematic knowledge and artistic infatuation culminate in this feast of silhouettes and disorientation.

Christopher Doyle’s cinematography is spectacular here. Primary colors of blue and red are juxtaposed with shades of green and yellow, creating an ethereal, hazy state of a bloody summer that is fascinating to watch as much as it is grim to live through. Tam creates a world that is as alluring as it is brutal, it takes audiences’ breath away and taps into an inherent love for cinema that every cinephile harbors from the moment they discover their first foreign film. A spectacle of colors, melodrama, passion, and violence, this film creates a mood rather than relying on its somewhat clichéd narrative bringing more to the table than just a tale of lovers’ separation or gangsters going head-to-head.

Leung, in particular, is a revelation in this film. As a Wong Kar-wai fan, it is a delight to watch baby Leung, looking so innocent and honing his acting skills in this film. His raw and primal performance predisposes to his more nuanced roles in classics such as In the Mood for Love, Chungking Express, and Lust, Caution. He holds ground with the other more veteran actors and shines even with limited screen time. Wang brings a sensitivity and vulnerability to her role that makes her tears and haunted looks linger even long after she disappears from the screen. All the tense action scenes are perfectly choreographed and shot with the same proficiency seen in Sergio Leone’s films. The camera work is exceptional and a goldmine for digging allegories and contrasts.

Tam has elevated this melodramatic piece of absurd coincidences, astonishing highs and lows, into an artistic performance that blends music, sensationalism, violence, and unrequited love stories. In the hands of another director, My Heart Is That Eternal Rose may have been a chaotic mess but with Tam, it is a sensational feature that stands the test of time.

My Heart Is That Eternal Rose is currently playing with a new 2K restoration at Metrograph In Theater in New York courtesy of Kani Releasing. The restoration will expand to additional markets in the coming weeks. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvU9Nt67zko]