Made in Hong Kong (香港製造) is a 1997 Hong Kong drama film written and directed by Fruit Chan, produced by Andy Lau, and starring Sam Lee, Yim Hui-Chi, Wenders Li, and Tam Ka-Chuen. It won the Best Picture Award at the 1998 Hong Kong Film Awards along with 13 other wins and 6 nominations. The film was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[2][3]
| Made in Hong Kong | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Traditional Chinese | 香港製造 |
| Simplified Chinese | 香港制造 |
| Literal meaning | Hong Kong manufacture |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xiānggǎng zhìzào |
| Jyutping | Hoeng1 Gong2 zai3 zou6 |
| Directed by | Fruit Chan |
| Written by | Fruit Chan |
| Produced by | Andy Lau Doris Yang Ziming |
| Starring | Sam Lee Yim Hui-Chi Wenders Li Tam Ka-Chuen |
| Cinematography | Lam Wah-Chuen O Sing-Pui |
| Music by | Lam Wah-Chuen |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Box office | $17,255[1] |
Much of the film is set in public housing estates, which Chan considered to be "a very Hong Kong thing" due to the high population density of the territory.[4] Though the film is sometimes regarded as a response to the 1997 Hong Kong handover, Chan feels that Made in Hong Kong can also be viewed as a character-driven drama that reflects the lifestyle of many young Hong Kong people at the time.[4]
The film was made using leftover film reels and therefore had very low production costs, even for an independent movie.[citation needed]
Plot
editAutumn Moon is a secondary school drop-out whose father has abandoned his family for his mistress. Moon works with his friend Sylvester, who is mentally disabled, as a debt collector for a triad member, Cheung Siu-Wing. Sylvester is frequently bullied but Moon attempts to protect him when possible.
By chance, Sylvester passes by the body of a classmate, Susan, who had just thrown herself off a building, picks up her two suicide notes, and gives them to Moon. Moon passes one to its intended owner, but keeps the other instead of returning it to her family. He has frequent wet dreams about Susan and constantly pictures her last moments.
Moon attempts to collect money from Mrs. Lam, who also owes money to a man called Fat Chan. Moon falls in love with Ping, her daughter who has a fatal kidney disease, and wards off Fat Chan's attempts to collect money from Mrs. Lam who does not approve of their relationship.
Eventually, Moon attempts to collect enough money to pay off Fat Chan and at one point raids an office attempting to find him, to no avail. Needing additional money to pay for Ping's kidney transplant, Moon takes an assassination contact from Siu-Wing, but is too nervous to go through with it.
Sometime later, Moon is stabbed repeatedly outside his apartment by a young thug sent by Fat Chan. Moon falls into a coma though eventually makes a full recovery. Upon awakening, he finds that Sylvester has been killed by Siu-Wing and that Ping has since succumbed to her illness.
Out of hope, Moon returns Susan's letter to her family and takes revenge by killing Siu-Wing and Fat Chan before committing suicide by Ping's gravestone.
Cast and roles
edit- Sam Lee - To Chung-Chau, "Moon"
- Neiky Yim Hui-Chi - Lam Yuk-Ping, "Ping"
- Wenders Li - Ah-Lung, "Sylvester" (credited as Wenbers Li Tung-Chuen)
- Amy Tam Ka-Chuen - Hui Bo San, "Susan"
- Carol Lam Kit-Fong - Mrs. Lam, Ping's mother
- Doris Chow Yan-Wah - Mrs. To, Moon's mother
- Siu Chung - Ms. Lee, social worker
- Chan Tat-Yee - Fat Chan
- Wu Wai-Chung - Keung
- Sang Chan - "Big Brother", Cheung Siu-Wing
- Kelvin Chung - Doctor
- Ah Ting - Moon's father
- Jessica - Moon's father's current wife
- Ah Wai - Assassin on skateboard
- Ho B-Chai - Male student
Reception
editBBC Four said the film is "impressively shot" and "boasts convincing performances".[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Made in Hong Kong (2020 re-release)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- ^ "45 Countries Submit Films for Oscar Consideration". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 19 November 1998. Archived from the original on 19 February 1999. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ a b "Interview: Fruit Chan, 20 Years On from Made in Hong Kong". FilmDoo. 29 May 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ^ Dawson, Tom (25 April 1998). "Cinema - Feature - MADE IN HONG KONG". BBC Four. BBC. Archived from the original on 22 June 2002. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
External links
edit- Made in Hong Kong at IMDb
- Made in Hong Kong at HKMDB
- Made in Hong Kong at Hong Kong Cinemagic