During World War II, a young woman decides to join up with a resistance group, and her major assignment means she has to get involved intimately with a high-ranking enemy-collaborator. And have lots of sex.

No, we're not repeat-screening Black Book from last semester, although the similarities are remarkable. This time, the woman is Chinese, the man is a collaborator with the Japanese and it's directed by Ang Lee, not Paul Verhoeven, so the sex is more obsessive and sacrificial, and less nudge-nudge-wink-wink.

When you take into account previous Lee movies ((ndash)) The Wedding Banquet, Sense and Sensibility and Brokeback Mountain in particular ((ndash)) you start to see a little bit of commonality amongst his genre hopping. He seems to like tales of forbidden love/lust. The good thing though is, as usual, Lee's film is beautiful to watch and achingly moving with the characters and scenarios. The actress Wei Tang, who plays the main role, is a revelation in her screen debut, and the veteran Asian actors Tony Leung, Chiu Wai and Joan Chen are also fabulous as the officer and his wife.

This film is a pleasure to experience, and the big screen is the only way to appreciate its full value.