“How far would you go for love?”
Do you think you would go as far as Guy Orlebar sort of did?
You see, Orlebar wrote, directed, edited and produced “Lost in Love,” which is “based on a true love story” and is purportedly a semi-autobiographical account of Mr. Orlebar’s love life. Apparently, though, Mr. Orlebar wasn’t willing to go quite as far as Paul (Bene’t Lynton), his main character, in this male-centric “Lost in Translation” retread.
The film opens with Paul’s arrival in a nearly deserted Hong Kong airport. As he stands there taking it all in, a voice-over begins that reveals Paul’s innermost thoughts. But soon, that same disembodied voice begins interacting with the only other person in the airport and it becomes apparent that all the dialogue has been overdubbed. Strange (especially since everyone seems to be speaking English).
Anyway, Paul has come to Hong Kong to get in touch with a woman named Angel (Sarika Choy) he had a one-night stand with… and who obviously wants nothing more to do with him after she leaves the hotel room in which they sexed it up. But Paul doesn’t get the clue (he literally begs her for her number on her way out the door). So he follows her to Hong Kong, which is where the trouble starts.
Paul spends most of the movie wandering around Hong Kong looking angsty and trying to get in touch with Angel, who continually rebuffs his attempts, making him even more angsty. You see, since their little tryst, Angel has taken up with a man known only by his profession: The Banker (played stoically by Gordon Liu). Paul and The Banker have a number of run-ins, with The Banker always gaining the upper-hand, making Paul feel small and unwanted.
When he is at his lowest, Paul meets The Hostess (Aya Suyama), who picks up his spirits and takes him in off the streets. But The Hostess is no Angel, and Paul will not rest until he is reunited with the one woman in Hong Kong who wants nothing to do with him.
Then Paul walks around some more and contemplates his existence, staring longingly into the Hong Kong night as he searches for the one thing that will again make him whole: a set of balls.
This was a tough one to make it all the way through, so when the decision is made to open the film with what turns out to be the penultimate scene, Orlebar ends up stealing a lot of his own thunder. That’s a fatal error in a movie like this and a good argument for hiring a professional editor. This film is obviously a labor of love, but eventually collapses from lack of a solid story and poor character development, not to mention some abysmal performances and a syrupy score. Keep your distance from this one.
