12 Days: Byron Pang and Thomas Price in Amphetamine

'There is no way to quit a fateful love.'

Pang

First off, I should share I watched Amphetamine without any English subtitles.  Even without the however, it was a story I quickly understood and was absorbed in.  In addition, the character of Daniel works at what I'm guessing was an American based bank, so there was English spoken off and on throughout the film.

Price

Set in 2008, just after the financial collapse, banker Daniel is openly gay and in the process of deciding whether to return to Australia.  It is then, that he meets Kafka.  Kafka is a swimming and fitness instructor who proclaims to be straight.  I certainly saw Kafka as sexually confused, and definitely in the closet, but from their first meeting, I saw Kafka as drawn to Daniel, as Daniel is to him.  The shower scene in the video occurs shortly after the two first meet.

The two men very quickly fall in love and believe their love can bridge any issues, including their difference sexuality.  Kafka however, has other issues he's struggling with and his drug use increases as the film and story progresses.  Daniel has no regrets about falling in love, but Kafka struggles to return his love, especially sexually.

Their relationship is complicated by Kafka's erratic behaviour, stemming from habitual abuse of amphetamine. Also a contributing factor is his impotence, which can be attributed to a trauma. This is where I felt the emotional pull of the film felt a little off to me.  Given the location, and Kafka's culture, being closeted would be enough to lead to anxiety, possibly depression and even addiction.  I didn't understand why Danny Cheng Wan-Cheung., aka Scud, both the writer and director, added such a drastic, and unnecessary trauma into the mix.

The trauma is a shown in flashbacks with Kafka being violented raped by three men.  It's a difficult scene to watch, and again, I felt it wasn't needed as complications and drama were already present.  The scene was also odd as the men were originally planning on raping a woman.  When Kafka intervenes to help, the woman runs away and it's then Kafka who is stripped, beaten and raped by the three men.

Thing getting even more confusing after the death of Kafka's mother. he goes into a tailspin, raping Daniel's best friend, Linda, and flooding his and Daniel's apartment. When Daniel tries to console Linda, the two end up having sex, and Kafka sees them.  The next morning, Daniel does amphetamine with Kafka, and Kafka confesses that despite everything he's done wrong, he still loves Daniel. Daniel affirms their relationship by asking Kafka to return to Australia with him, where they can get married, but Kafka asks for more time. 

At Daniel's going away party, Kafka appears totally naked, painted with silver body paint, calligraphy and wearing a large pair of Angel wings.  After a series of climatic events, which call back to Daniel and Kafka bungee jumping earlier in the film, Kafka ends up in the hospital. I won't give away the ending, but in Kafka's mind, he and Daniel end up together in the end.

Although I had a few issues with the story, and some of Scud's story choices, I was really engrossed in the story, the characters and their relationship.  Both actors were excellent and both carried the story, although in very different ways.  Byron Pang, (Kafka) was heartbreaking during Pang's scenes of breaking down, and I didn't need subtitles to understand and feel his pain. I think it was Thomas Price's Daniel however, I was most drawn to.  Price is an incredibly beautiful man, and his love for Kafka, despite the obstacles, was what really drove the story for me.

Both actors had plenty of nude scenes although Byron Pang, (Kafka) carried the full frontal load.  Due to the nudity, and the subject the matter, the film met  met controversy in Hong Kong when the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority asked for several shots of anal intercourse to be cut before public screening.  

Scud protested against the authority's decision and complained to the Chief Executive  The shots in concern were finally blackened-out but with sound in public screening as a protest by Scud.  If you haven't seen any films from Scud, this is a good one to start out with. Although there's a few complications in the story, the film keeps it's focus on the two main characters and the relationship, and the two actors, the beautiful direction and cinematography, made it addictively watchable.