Kawashima Yoshiko(HKAFF 2021)

Eddie Fong’s sumptuous biopic features Anita Mui in one of her most beloved roles — that of the real-life Qing Dynasty princess-turned-Japanese spy Kawashima Yoshiko, who was famous not only for her imperial lineage and espionage career, but also for her striking charisma and gender-fluid identity. These are traits well-associated with Cantopop star Mui, given her extravagant personal style and signature androgynous stage persona. The film follows Yoshiko from China to Japan and back, as she works to establish Japan’s puppet state of Manchukuo. However, Yoshiko’s encounter with a former lover, who’s now an anti-Japanese revolutionary, brings her ultimate loyalties into question.