Nelson Yu Lik-wai looks tired as he settles into a seat in a Yau Ma Tei cafe, readying himself to discuss his new film, Plastic City. It's all the Hong Kong-born Beijing-based filmmaker has talked about for the past three days. While the prospect of further talk may not excite him, images do: his expression brightens when the Post's photographer arrives, and the pair are soon swapping tips on lighting and angles.
Yu's enthusiasm for visual arts is hardly surprising. He's one of the foremost cinematographers of his generation, boasting a 15-year career which has included work with award-winning filmmakers Jia Zhangke, Wong Kar-wai and Ann Hui On-wah. And while the 43-year-old still relishes the challenges of camera work, he's now more preoccupied with another calling. 'I want to focus on directing - although it's a more personal and lonely pursuit,' he says.
Plastic City - his third feature film after Love Will Tear Us Apart (1999) and All Tomorrow's Parties (2003) - is his most ambitious and commercial so far. Budgeted at US$4 million, most of the film's finance came from Brazilian firm Gullane, with input from Japan's Bitter End, Hong Kong's Sundream Pictures and Xstream, the mainland company he co-owns with Jia Zhangke and Chow Keung.
The film has dazzling action scenes, dodgy gangsters and erotic dancers as its protagonists, and a pumping soundtrack to boot. Yu had more than 80 people at his disposal when he shot it in Sao Paulo - a far cry from the skeleton crews he used in the past.
The film revolves around Yuda (played by Anthony Wong Chau-sang) and his adopted son Kirin (Japanese actor Joe Odagiri), who run a lucrative business in the city's black market. Their shady business empire begins to crumble, however, when corrupt officials and underworld kingpins start pressing for a share of their profits and power; their gradual downfall forces both father and son to face up to their destinies.
Yu says the film was inspired by the real-life story of Law Kin-chong, a Chinese gangster who was brought to heel by the Brazilian police after his failed attempt to bribe officials.
