This year, I am on my own to experience HKIFF with Chris as my movie partner. I was late in buying tickets and several of my top choices were sold out. However, this screening I attended, which was a trilogy of unrelated films made in Hong Kong, reminded me why I love attending international film festivals. The quirky, low-budget, off-the-beaten track films makes me think of the many stories that everyone has to share.
Homecoming [妈妈离家上班去] (directed by Zune Kwok) is a short film about a Filipino domestic helper Charlie due for retirement. This is a realistic story about Charlie leaving her young son behind to work overseas for a living; in the process, missing out on important life events in her son's life and the bonding process. This story reminded me of my helper in Singapore who has been with us for 21 years and when she joined our family, her daughter was 7 (same age as me then). It was a very heartfelt story as it showed the personal family sacrifices helpers have to make to eke out a living and in the end, the many years of distance with their own children has become too far to bridge.
Little Did She Know [援交] (directed by Risky Liu) tells of two high-school girls engaging in 'enko' (compensated dating) to save up for a Hokkaido trip. One of the girls, Yan was convinced by Kwan to try the trade and in the end, had tragic consequences. I really liked the cinematography with the colours, direction and dialogue. It helped as well that the actresses' acting was the best among the three films with good chemistry between Kwan and Yan. Excerpt from the director's motivation for the film:
"For a long time, I aim at filming a story about youngsters. I try to use a simple and direct way in shooting, using two girls with compensated dating experiences to bring out different social phenomena, relationship with family, complicated love relations... Why do youngsters give up something precious in their lives? Or is it the fact that they do not possess anything that is so-called precious and important? I am not going to figure out the roots of the situation. I just want to show parts of the aspects of today's youngsters to the audience."
That's Why You Go Away [后来] (directed by Nose Chan] has an interesting angle about what love means to each gender. The lead character, Iris, is involved with a married man and finds herself pregnant. She decides to keep the baby and accidentally meets the wife of her ex-boyfriend. A complicated love quadrangle ensues and in the end, Iris had a miscarriage and left both men. Except from the director:
"I like melodrama as it is an exquisite combination of reality and drama. I admire women. They are gentle yet tough, I try to study their underlying textures.
Many people need a romance that they think is unforgettable to tell themselves that they had been in love. And men always attach obligations to their relationships. Time adds weight to the obligation and eventually it outweighs the relationship itself. Men still get enchanted when they think of the past.
Women are persistent and wayward about love. They know very well that someone, once gone, will never come back, yet they persevere.
I just love the title of a Hong Sang-soo film, Woman is the Future of Man."
I agree with the director's comment on people needing an unforgettable romance to validate that they have been love. I used to be like that; and then realised - it is so silly to put yourself through that heartache. Romance can be simple and heartwarming with no drama involved.
Looking forward to the rest of the films I have bought tickets for.
The security guards at my apartment block are very friendly (though I must admit they probably would not be able to fight a burglar) and neighbourly - they greet me with a smile and a "Lei Hou" [你好]when I see them before work and coming home.
My friendly landlord having to bear with my incessant follow-up SMS on the various domestic issues with the apartment, drew a map for me to show me the nearest drycleaners and guided me to the nearest clinic when I fell ill.
The mother and young son whom Chris and I met in the lift twice in the mornings to work - Chris greets them "Zou San" [早晨]and the little boy asks cheekily "Are you happy today?" in Cantonese and I burst out laughing before translating for Chris. The second time we met them, I asked the boy the same question and he asked me "Were you squashed today?" and proceeded to explain how he was squashed yesterday in the lift.
My friend GL who teased me about being a refugee (though I must admit I came up with the term myself) when I was trying so hard to fake the winter look simply by wearing black tights with my Singapore summer dresses. He is a good friend who helped me get in touch with his headhunter friends and bought me dinner when I was out of a job.
My great colleagues at work in HK whom made me feel very welcome. I get invited to all their events (horse-racing at Happy Valley for Chinese New Year celebration, Tung Po dinner, lots of dim sum lunches on work days). I love working with them and for my great boss. They are a great department and I feel very lucky and honoured to have worked with them the past months. I would have loved to stay with them as permanent but as fate would have it - it does not work out that way and I will leave when my contract is completed this March. I will definitely keep in touch with them; they reminded me of my happy days at JPMorgan when life was good with great colleagues and everyone got along harmoniously.
To the many headhunters who helped market me for jobs and to the people whom I have met for interviews. I have never had the experience of having two job offers on the table at the same time; nor having to decline a job because it was not what I want to do. It feels tough being a heart-breaker and telling all the great managers I met with "Sorry, I don't want to proceed with the next round of interview". Thank you for taking the time to meet me. I think I might have found what I am looking for in a job - a great manager who appreciates my working style. (Maybe it is just that I get along better with male managers.)
Finally, to thank the one person who made all this possible. Allman for having the opportunity to relocate back and taking it at my request. I love Hong Kong. I have never felt so welcome in a foreign land; where people appreciate me for what I am and want to hire me. For the friendly Hong Kongers who smile at me and to the little boy who asks the best question. I will ask him for his name next time.