First, I wouldn't call LAN YU a gay love story. Let us just call it a love story instead, because all the hurt, heartbreaks, and disappointments that are there in any relationship are here in this love story➖the only difference being that LAN YU is a love story between two men.Lan Yu and Chen Handong touching - or rather grabbing - each other after a long separation, Handong wishing to put Yu away from him with his "When two people come to know each other too well..." dialogue, a heartbroken Yu repeating the same dialogue and surrendering himself to Handong, Handong searching desperately for Yu during the Tiananmen Square massacre, and Yu coming to Handong's rescue financially at the end of the film➖these are all elements of any love story. It's just that this love story is between two men.I have seen other gay love stories (or films, rather): Gus Van Sant's 'My Own Private Idaho', Pedro Almodovar's 'Law Of Desire' and 'Bad Education', and Wong Kar-wai's 'Happy Together'➖all splendidly made movies, but somehow Stanley Kwan's adaptation of the book 'Beijing Comrades', LAN YU, seemed a notch above these masterpieces I have mentioned. LAN YU doesn't have the rawness and desperation of 'My Own Private Idaho' or the in-your-face sexuality of 'Law Of Desire', 'Bad Education' and 'Happy Together'. LAN YU lays emphasis on love and not that much on sex.LAN YU is calm, non-filmy, a beautifully composed love story. Only, it is between two men. If one removes the nudity from the film - there is hardly any sex scene in LAN YU (I saw the Strand Releasing DVD version) - it would remain what it is: a beautiful love story.The performances of the lead cast is remarkable, especially of Ye Liu who plays Lan Yu. He is young (the film released in 2001), handsome, and looks vulnerable enough. The transformation of his character from a poor, diffident student completely under the shadow of a much older, wealthier and cocky Handong (played equally well by Jun Hu), to a successful professional who can look Handong in the eye and also rescues him financially is remarkable. And this has been expressed brilliantly in the scenes.In the scenes earlier in the film, Handong struts around cockily in his bedroom, ordering his young lover to do things, while Yu just lies in the bed naked, listening to Handong, not knowing what to do. At the end of the film, when Handong's character has just been released from prison and is staying at Yu's place, Yu is already a professional architect, earning his own livelihood, no longer dependent upon anyone. In a scene in this part, Handong, now not as rich as before, is lying in Yu's bed, while Yu is ready in formal clothes, shaving himself with an electric razor, getting ready for work. These two scenes defined the two lead characters, the journeys that they made, together and separately.I have just one grouse. LAN YU moves too fast. Handong and Yu have to mention to each other that it has been three years since they saw each other for me to understand that three years have passed in just three seconds. In an other scene, Handong has to inform Yu that he is divorced➖neither Handong's divorce nor his wedding were shown. Perhaps, showing Handong's wedding and divorce would have thrown some more light on his character. However, despite this flaw, I was satisfied with LAN YU. I have the novel, 'Beijing Comrades', the English translation by Scott E. Myers published by the Feminist Press, and it is quite a tome! I have not read it yet because I found its size intimidating. To adapt that tome into an 86-minute film - a film shot entirely within China without the government coming to know of it! - is a remarkable achievement in itself. Kudos to screenwriter Jimmy Ngai and director Stanley Kwan for achieving this feat!LAN YU is a lovely film about love, but it has a sad ending. Why? Why do love stories between two men have to be sad? Why is separation inevitable in such films? Whatever, for me, LAN YU will remain what I have already mentioned at the beginning of my review. It is a love story➖pure, sad, heartbreaking➖but a love story, nevertheless. I wouldn't try to fit in LAN YU into some niche category. LAN YU is a love story, the way a love story is meant to be. Period.

Well it's really a good story but not too very good movie, since the DVD that I watched had many deleted scene which makes me feeling upset because I can't understand the movie completely. However Lan Yu is a really good gay's movie its portray a beautiful love story and great performance from both of the main actors. I can feel Lan Yu's and Han Dong's emotions which makes me deeply sad and fell happy because I've had chance to see such a good movie. Even though it's not a happy ending but at least they've both already known about true love. And the soundtrack is good especially the lyric its almost describe exactly the same with what lan yu's felt.If you feel bore with man-woman love story or just want to see a good movie and want to see something new, you have to watch this movie.

The college student LanYu wanted to make money and had sex with rich entrepreneur HanDong. From then on, LanYu fell in love with HanDong. But later HanDong was not satisfied with LanYu and they broke up. After learned LanYu died of car accident, HanDong just knew how he loved LanYu. The saddening ending song appropriately represented his mood.Although it was a homosexual love story, what it expressed had the same effect with any heterosexual story. The feeling for love is completely the same. It is obvious that western countries are opener on homosexuality than China. Even some western countries agreed with homosexual marriage. I think they have the right.YeLiu and JunHu gave us impressive performance. YeLiu really is a talented young actor. I am sure he will have a brighter future. In all it is better than East Palace West Palace.A moving love story. 8/10

I really wanted to like this movie. The actors are good looking, honest and real, and the very fact that it is a Chinese film is intriguing. However well intentioned this film was, I believe that it fell quite short of its mark.The story is of two guys who have a relationship; there is not much new here. Although there are some wonderful uses of interesting camera angles and a decided lack of score, Lan Yu was not able to unify these elements into an effective picture.Don't get me wrong, however, the film was quite interesting. But when I left I felt cheated; the ending is a huge disappointment, and the entire intermittent narrative voice is really unnecessary. Although well intentioned, this film gyrates between excess sentimentality (Chinese film style,) and touching humor; although some movies can pull these two strains together, this one could not.Whereas other reviewers have stated a great emotional complexity, I caught no such vibe from either of the main characters. Unfortunately, I really did not care that much about either of them, and was unable to believe that their love was as great as they both proclaimed at various times. Although sweet, this movie was really just fluff lite.