By Ada Tseng
Lo Chi-Leung's thriller Koma brings two of Hong Kong's finest actresses together in a dynamic emotional whirlwind where friends are enemies, trust is fleeting, and murder comes with kidney theivery.
A killer is on the loose, stealing the kidneys of innocent victims, presumably to make a profit of them in the black market. The lives of two young women intertwined, vacillating between friendship and bitter rivalry. Whether fighting for their lives, fighting with each other, or fighting over a poor excuse for the male species they both call the love of their lives--these two girls are bound together by an inextricable fate. Loneliness brings them together. But what is real? Who is trustworthy? What is love?
Hong Kong horror queens Angelica Lee Sinje (The Eye) and Karena Lam Ka-Yan (Inner Senses) star, playing the two title characters in Koma. Ching (Lam) is the upper-class, well-mannered, respectable girl who seems to have it all, and Ling (Lam) is her opposite, the poor girl who gets lost in the crowd, desperately wishing for the same life of luxury, or at least some attention and love. To complicate things--unbeknownst to poor Ching, who suffers from health problems--Ling is having an affair with Ching's boyfriend, Wai (Andy Hui Chi-On). Herself weak and helpless, Ching wishes she had Ling's strength, but the jealousy is mutual, as Ling resents Ching for constantly getting flooded with sympathy--and of course, for having a secure hold on Wai's heart, even while Wai is clearly only using Ling as his sexual plaything.
However, as the girls are faced with the threat of a killer on the loose, a truce is called. When Ching, an easy target, is attacked, Ling surprisingly comes to her rescue. After surviving life-threatening circumstances together, they begin to develop a close friendship, which may or may not lead them to further danger.
Karena Lam and Angelica Lee give great performances, and Koma generally succeeds in keeping the stakes high and the tension simmering. The suspense is played up, and while the scare factor isn't entirely panic-worthy, it is just nerve-wracking enough for it to be fun to watch the two charismatic actresses scream and gasp and tremble under the pressure. Lo Chi-Leung's film is beautifully photographed, and as a result, the movie not merely fluoresces but phosphoresces, managing to keep its glossy veneer for the entire length of the film, even as the believability of the plot eventually fizzles. Unexpected twists and turns may keep us on our toes, but balance is key. The kidney theft theme, while allowing for Lo Chi-Leung to film gory, blood-gushing, can-i-rip-my-own-organs-out? scenes in an impressively classy way, also serve to distract as the storyline veers away from the fine line of originality and uniqueness into outlandishness and confusion. But hey, we all get a little crazy sometimes. Koma is an entertaining ride nevertheless.
www.komathemovie.com (http: //www.komathemovie.com)
Published: Friday, December 3, 2004
