China Girl

Abel Ferrara creates a modern day Romeo and Juliet in gritty New York City, centring on the doomed relationship between an Italian boy and Chinese girl.

Known as the New York bad boy of cinema, Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant, King of New York) creates a downtown world of danger in this update of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. Tony (Richard Panebianco) and Tye (Sari Chang) fall in love – but all is not well in Manhattan, as they find their star-crossed romance amidst a heated gang war.

Ferrara might be known for being playful and violent with his films, but China Girl finds the filmmaker mostly interested in the central relationship. Focused, sensual, and inseparable, Tony and Tye are two characters whose actions heavily dictate the course of the film. It’s also a gripping portrait of 1980’s Manhattan, which was almost Shakespearian in its conflict and complexity.