[Withered in a Blooming Season] picks up many of Cui`s key ideas and dramatic motifs but presents them in a fresh context, making this very different from the earlier films: you could even think of it as a social-realist movie. High-school student Feng (Wang Guifeng, the alien in [Star Appeal]) is too close to his twin sister Wen (Xiangwen); half-abandoned by their businesswoman mother, they live together and dress identically. But when Wen begins to break free from her brother`s controlling influence, Feng`s possessiveness sparks the bizarre idea that his gay friend Xiao Le should date her, just to keep her away from other boys. A lot of angry recriminations are hurled back and forth before the emotional tangle reaches a surprising outcome. As ever, Cui is interested in honesty and dishonesty in relationships, in the difficulties of achieving self-awareness, and in the strangeness of emotions. His account of sexual ambivalence echoes Noel Coward`s classic play [Design for Living]. The difference here is that his themes are played out in a realistic Beijing of alleys, cramped apartments and bad parents. (Tony Rayns)