Without men, women's lives would be a total mess. That, anyway, seems to be what female director Ma Liwen is saying in her new film Desires of the Heart (Tao Hua Yun).

The film, which premiered on Nov 20, charts five love affairs in 100 minutes in Chinese with English subtitles.

A divorced woman falls into the clutches of a womanizer; a girl devotes herself to finding a rich husband; a university student breaks up with her loving boyfriend because they had had pre-marital sex; an elderly woman is knowingly cheated by a young man; and a rich girl falls in love with a poor cook.

The film gives an insight into how urban Chinese live and love nowadays, albeit in an exaggerated way. It lives up its billing as a comedy but more through apparent flaws in its plot than witty lines and amusing performances.

All five women seem incapable of living happily before they find Mr Right. Moreover, the scene of a girl dreaming sweetly of being buried by the notes a rich man throws on her is pathetically impressive.

China's top actor, Ge You, plays the hilarious womanizer and shows why he has been the most popular actor on the mainland for many years. The bony man dominates every scene he appears in and his gifted comedic touch even makes up for the ordinary script. If there were just one reason to see this film, it would be Ge's performance.

(China Daily 11/22/2008 page6)