"If it's in focus it's pornography, if it's out of focus it's art." - Billy Kwan

One of my all-time favourite characters and someone I was since always deeply attracted to for it's civility, smarts and, ultimately - loneliness, is the character of Billy Kwan, a Jakarta - based journalist with deep socialistic yearning. Shunned by other journalists who takes the job tired, drunk and to prove something of their worth, Kwan is smarter and better versed and desperate for a friend. This ultimately disappoints him when he idolises the newcomer reporter only to find him the same as everyone else. Kwan's lines are terrific, making the movie a cut above par. Sad as fuck, obviously. In a 'too little too late' sense - the worst kind of sad.

I would love to have been a lover of a man like that, were I a war correspondent in an impoverished, sweaty armpit of a world, but I fear I would only ever disappoint as well. He fed off young naivete and I was stupid when I was young and now that I'm old, I'm not naive enough any longer.