Ngoi soeng ngo baa

This is a film about high schoolers in love. They're not exceptional students, skateboarders, a mediocre band, and various hangers-on, but nor are they deadbeats or criminals. It's not a comedy, but surprisingly, nobody gets killed or overdoses on drugs, no one even winds up in the hospital. The plot revolves around a love triangle between two buddies, Lobo and Skid, and a sweet young girl named Pat who is loved by both boys, but seems to have her mind on Lobo. The problem is that Skid saw her first, and Lobo's too good of a friend to steal Skid's sweetheart from under him. Eventually the tangle gets resolved in usual fashion, but that's not important. What's important is the exceptionally vivid and realistic sense of interconnectedness that is portrayed by the gang of friends. This is a group of kids who might remind you very much of your own youthful circle. In that sense, the film is a cliche, but as a Hong Kong film, it is unique: No gangsters, no kung fu, no surreal action, no absurdly cool characters, and none of the regular contingent of HK actors. Filmed in cinema verité style, it is a more than the latest teen flick, it's a true work of art.