Butterfly (Hu die) (2004) • Hong Kong

The direction and cinematography are more ambitious than they need to be for this simple love story but not often to the point of distraction. It's very well acted by attractive actors. Josie Ho is gorgeous and understated. The tentativeness of her sexual reawakening has as much to do with her personality as it does with her gender. It's not padded by making the guy a jerk who would make any woman switch teams like is done in many western films about lesbian love. It's got politics too, as the younger pair exist amidst the Tiananmen square riots and massacre. Well done.

★★★★