Inner Senses

Inner Senses

Film poster
Traditional 異度空間
Simplified 异度空间
Mandarin Yì Dù Kōng Jiān
Cantonese Ji6 Dou6 Hung1 Gaan1
Directed by Law Chi-leung
Produced by Derek Yee
Written by Derek Yee
Law Chi-leung
Yeung Sin-ling
Starring Leslie Cheung
Karena Lam
Maggie Poon
Waise Lee
Valerie Chow
Norman Chu
Samuel Lam
Music by Peter Kam
Cinematography Keung Kwok-man
Editing by Kwong Chi-leung
Studio Filmko Pictures
Distributed by Golden Harvest
Clyde Films Inc.
Release date(s) 28 March 2002 (2002-03-28)
Running time 100 minutes
Country Hong Kong
Language Cantonese
Gross revenue HK$3,246,314.00[1]

Inner Senses is a 2002 Hong Kong psychological horror film directed by Law Chi-leung and starring Leslie Cheung and Karena Lam. The film explores themes on hallucination, clinical depression, psychological trauma and suicide. It is also the last film Leslie Cheung acted in before he committed suicide on April 1, 2003.

Contents

Summary

Psychiatrist Dr. Jim Law tries to treat his patient, Cheung Yan, a woman who believes that she sees ghosts. Law does not believe in the supernatural and thinks that she is repressing her past. Law reads Yan's diaries to better understand her psyche and learns that her parents are divorced and do not care for her. Yan's condition improves gradually and they develop a romantic relationship at the same time.

However, Law feels that he cannot become too close to Yan because she is his patient and tries to convey the message to her indirectly. Yan understands his words and feels hurt, as she thinks that he is dumping her in the same way as her ex-boyfriend did. She starts having hallucinations again and sees the spirits of her landlord's deceased wife and son, after which she attempts suicide by overdosing on antidepressants and slitting her wrist, but survives. Law travels to Yan's apartment later and hears strange noises in the bathroom and thinks that her neighbour upstairs is responsible. Once, Law sees a female ghost while looking out of his window, and sees her again on another two occasions while driving and swimming. He starts taking antidepressants as well and tries to electrocute himself, but is rescued in time and recovers.

Law eventually helps Yan recover from her mental illness by reuniting her with her parents. Following that, he starts dating Yan as she is no longer his patient. While in a restaurant one day, Law is attacked by a woman, whom he remembers to be the mother of the ghost he saw. He starts having nightmares and begins sleepwalking, behaving erratically and reacting violently when Yan and his colleagues ask him. The ghost that Law sees is actually Siu-yu, his ex-girlfriend in high school, who committed suicide after Law broke up with her. Law has visions of Siu-yu following him wherever he goes and flees in horror until he finally reaches the top of a building. He is confronted by Siu-yu's ghost, who wants to force him to jump off. Law shows remorse for causing Siu-yu's death and the ghost disappears. After that, he sees Yan walking towards him and embraces her, and the film ends with both of them sitting together on the top of the building.

Cast

Awards & nomination

References

External links