Things are not going well for Lin Xue! All the men in her life seem to be having sex. Lots of it. Unfortunately for her, it’s mostly with each other, especially her husband and the amateur private dick she hires to spy on him. Love triangles spin out of control in Spring Fever, award-winning film for Best Screenplay at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

Set in the damp, moody springtime of Nanjing, this Peyton Place-meets-Jules et Jim drama follows the clandestine gay and bisexual trysts of China’s “cell phone generation.” More than just a gritty backdrop, the city’s tranny bars, punk clubs and illegal sweat-shops frame the lives of five young people in this impressionistic look at modern life in urban China.

Director Lou Ye was banned from filmmaking for five years after he failed to submit his last film (Summer Palace) to government censors before it screened at Cannes in 2006. Defiantly shot and poetically acted, Ye provokes once again with this explicit portrayal of sexuality and infidelity. A soulful soundtrack by Iranian composer Peyman Yaxdanian complements intimate and unsettling visuals as the film twists and turns with increasing intensity.