Portland Street Blues

Q&A with actress Sandra Ng.

Hong Kong’s mighty Young & Dangerous film series about young gangsters (known as triads) were huge hits that spawned numerous sequels and spin-off films, the best of which is this one, a stand-alone flick about Sister 13 (Sandra Ng), a lesbian pimp who sports a spiky ’do and boss suits. Flashing back to her childhood, it tracks how a scrappy kid from a crummy home became a ferocious triad boss, made all the more complicated because of the Ginger Rogers syndrome: everything the other triad bosses do, Sister 13 has to do backwards and in high heels. Shot in the streets at a breakneck pace, it’s a tough gangster flick with a blood-pounding immediacy that’s elevated to critical heights thanks to its three lead performers. Sandra Ng won a Hong Kong Film Award for her portrayal of Sister 13, while Shu Qi won Best Actress at the Golden Horse Awards for playing the enigmatic beauty Sister 13 falls for. And then there’s Kristy Yeung, turning in the best work of her career as Sister 13’s right-hand woman and best friend. It’s a trio of fantastic female performances that transforms this B-level triad flick into a gutsy entertainer about the fluidity of sexuality, gangster feminism, and hardcore street fighting. Part of HONG KONG FOREVER! Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York.