77 Heartbreaks
Description
In the opening moments of Herman Yau’s insightful relationship drama, kickboxing teacher Adam discovers his live-in girlfriend Eva has left him, taking her all of her clothes and most of her belongings. Turning his back on any kind of reflection, he becomes a party hound, but eventually has to confront his emotional immaturity when he comes across a diary Eva kept that catalogs his errors and mistakes. Through flashbacks, a number of these instances of bad behavior are shown—from being late to a film to more serious transgressions. Meanwhile, Eva attempts to chart her own course, both romantically and professionally. Adapting her own novel, screenwriter Erica Li poignantly depicts how a shallow man attempts to become a better person, and how a woman who has learned several things about what she doesn’t want in a partner can move forward out of heartbreak and leave herself open to romantic possibility. With notable supporting turns by Anthony Wong (also in Sleep Curse), Kara Wai, and Francis Ng, 77 Heartbreaks finds a new and entertaining way to depict how and why a relationship fractures.
Born in 1961, Herman Yau studied film at Hong Kong Baptist College and started out making music videos and television commercials. Incredibly prolific, he’s produced or directed over 70 films, including cult classics The Untold Story (1993), Ebola Syndrome (1996), as well as mainstream hits such as Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013) and The Mobfathers (2016). This year finds him a triple threat—besides the two films in Hong Kong Cinema, he released the action film Shock Wave, starring Andy Lau.
Film Details
Language Cantonese
Year 2017
Runtime 93
Country Hong Kong
Director Herman Yau
Producer Albert Lee, Yao Qinyi, Jason Siu
Writer Erica Li
Editor Wai Chiu Chung
Cinematographer Man-Yin Ngai
Music Jan Hung Mak
Cast Charlene Choi, Pakho Chau, Anthony Wong
Print Source Emperor Motion Pictures