Away with Words (1999)

Away with Words 1999 / 孔雀 1999 / Kujaku , Peacock , San tiao ren , 三條人 , Three Life-stories

Asano searches for the comfort he had when he was a young boy growing up in Okinawa. For him, objects and actions have different meanings, mostly associations with numbers. Sometimes ‟twenty seven cops‟ is ‟boxes on the road‟ and everything in between. The way his mind works makes it hard for Asano to express himself to others in a spoken fashion, but emotionally he is able to touch those who let him in. After traveling for a long time, yearning for that particular safe haven, Asano finds himself in a dive bar in Hong Kong. There, he relives his childhood dreams and befriends Kevin, a flamboyant and outspoken gay Australian who lives life fast, beautiful, and always carelessly. And then there is Mavis, a somber and angel-like fashion designer who cleans up after their messes. In and outside the bar, the three share a relationship that becomes undeniably lovely and enriching.