YE

A young man stands in front of a mirror. The night belongs to him. Every evening, he appraises his appearance, attired in a new shirt, leaves his apartment and waits in a poorly lit alleyway for his johns. One night he meets a female prostitute of his age who’s new in this part of town. They flirt and wander the streets, toy with the idea of renting their bodies out to each other and name themselves after flowers: he calls himself Tuberose and she, Narcissus. The strangers they follow remain faceless – until Rose, a one-night stand, falls in love with Tuberose. With help from Narcissus, Rose uses all his charm to try to win over the young sex worker and although Tuberose responds with cool reserve it becomes increasingly difficult for him to remain aloof. In his visually impressive, sensual debut film in which he also plays the leading role this 21-year-old director demonstrates all the poetic intensity of a Jean Genet in describing these three misfits’ mute search for intimacy. The love songs of Taiwanese singer Teresa Tung help the protagonist get in touch with his locked-away emotions.