Jiaoliu China 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: With a string of soundtrack credits as long as your proverbial arm, it's no surprise Yellow Magic Orchestra man Ryuichi Sakamoto was top of the list when it came to scoring this "sumptuous romantic melodrama" from director Ann Hui. This is his first score for a Chinese film, however, and he pulls out the emotional stops to betray the tense, tumultuous stirrings going on beneath the surface of tight lipped manners and suppressed feelings. Many of the themes are explored through simple piano playing before returning in the form of complex string arrangements, a clever trick that proves Sakamoto was worthy of his Best Original Film Score prize at the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards for this work.

Review: Ryuichi Sakamoto has penned many soundtracks over the years, but few are as stirring, tender and emotionally laden as his soundtrack to 2021 Chinese movie 'Love After Love'. The film is described as an "erotic romance drama" set in the 1930s, about a young woman who travels to Hong Kong to further her education, but ends up working for her aunt, seducing "rich and powerful men". Sakamoto's score mirrors the unfurling, highly emotive drama, using reverb-laden piano pieces and string-laden orchestral movements to wring maximum emotion from each scene. It's a brilliant score all told and undoubtedly one of the former Yellow Orchestra Man's greatest works for cinema - and that's saying something!