Intimates 1997 Movie Review

『A Deep and Intense Love Story of Two Women Who Protected Their Lives and Saved Each Other’s Souls』

🎥 Film Overview

🎬 Title: Intimates (自梳, Ji Sor, 1997)
🌍 Country: 🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🎞️ Genre: Drama / Romance / Historical
🗓️ Production & Release: Media Asia Films
📢 Director: Mabel Cheung (張婉婷, Cheung Wan-Ting)
📺 Platform: DVD and select Asian film streaming services

👩‍💼 Cast: Carina Lau (劉嘉玲) – Wan (Yi-Huan)
Charlie Yeung (楊采妮) – Foon (Ok-Huan)

🧩 In-Depth Story Analysis (Spoilers)

📜 A Female-Centric Narrative Across Time and Society

《Intimates》traverses between the turbulent 1940s China and contemporary Hong Kong, portraying the deep bonds and love between women and how they survive under societal constraints. The title '自梳 (Ji Sor)' refers to the historical practice of “self-combing women” in southern China, in which unmarried women would comb their hair into a bun as a pledge of lifelong celibacy, joining women-only communities. This cultural practice serves as a key lens for exploring their relationship.

👭 Wan and Foon’s Intense and Tender Story

Their bond evolves beyond friendship into romantic love, undergoing complex emotional conflicts.

• Realization of forbidden feelings: When Foon is startled by Wan’s kiss and responds, "Women cannot be like that with each other," it illustrates that their relationship has crossed into a forbidden territory that surpasses societal norms and internalized beliefs. Their feelings are depicted as a pure, personal attraction unbound by social conventions.

• Fractures and contrasts: Foon’s brief involvement with a man in a subplot reflects the realistic and internal conflicts in her relationship with Wan. It shows the complexity of Foon’s psyche as she tests her identity against socially defined gender and relational norms. Ultimately, she returns to Wan, reaffirming their emotional bond.

• Wan’s devotion: Despite Foon’s wavering, young Wan demonstrates unwavering commitment. Her love is rooted not in possession, but in deep recognition and support of existence itself.

⏳ A Love That Transcends Time

Their relationship is forcibly separated by historical tragedies (Japanese invasion and war), adding narrative depth.

• Separation and commitment: The war-induced separation demonstrates that their relationship is subject to external forces beyond personal control. The present-day plot of elderly Wan searching for Foon over decades proves that their love was a lifelong promise and destiny, not a fleeting emotion.

• Victory of love: The ending, in which elderly Wan reunites with Foon, symbolizes the ultimate triumph of love over oppressive society, the tragedy of war, and the passage of time.

🌟 Women’s Liberation and Queer Feminism

《Intimates》 is more than a romantic drama; it represents a narrative of women’s liberation in Chinese society.

• Reconstruction of women’s subjectivity: The self-combing community portrays women living as independent and capable subjects outside male-dominated social and economic structures. Wan and Foon practice queer feminism by breaking societal constraints and choosing their own lives and relationships.

• Visibility of female intimacy: The film renders emotional and physical closeness between women visible on screen, offering a historically important voice within the context of Chinese queer culture. Their love represents a nonconformist lifestyle against an oppressive traditional society.

《Intimates》 stands out among 1990s Hong Kong cinema for its delicate and emotional storytelling, successfully combining the themes of the authenticity of love and female independence through the passionate and tender romance of two women across a century.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥
⭐ Overall Rating: ★★★☆