Simultaneously the most 'gothic' (in both definitions) and maybe the 'nastiest' Zhang Yimou film I've ever seen? Obviously has a ton of fun relishing in it's monochromatic dreariness, but moreover I think it seeks to test the audience by draining itself of life, of passion... Characters express glee, lust, fury and humor beneath gobs of high-contrast in a way that destroys any sense of life to these characters. Everyone feels doomed and ghostly in a way that works endlessly to…

When Jhon Balance died, he wasn't 42 like his body would testify; he died much earlier, when the teenaged Geoff Rushton began corresponding and meeting with the far older Peter Christopherson in his late teens. There's no doubt in my mind that the torrential force of Balance's dark wide-eyed unsatiable energy found a lot of solace in the remote dignity of Monsieur Sleazy, as a kindred spirit. Certainly both of them being gay men didn't hurt. It just simply would've…