A counter-revolutionary love story from Hong Kong

DURING THE courtship at the heart of “No. 7 Cherry Lane”, an animated film from Yonfan, a 71-year-old auteur, the streets of Hong Kong erupt in violent protest. Police in riot gear and gas-masks face down crowds of angry youths who are calling for the downfall of an authoritarian government. It is 1967, when Chinese Communist agitators fuelled riots that rocked the territory, then under British colonial rule. “This is revolution,” marvels Fan Ziming, a university student, looking on from a safe distance. Mrs Yu, his 40-year-old love interest, is unimpressed, having lived through the civil war in China. “This is not revolution,” she snaps back. “I’ve experienced the real thing.”