34th HKIFF: Heiward Mak Draws Cheers, Scud’s Amphetamine Draws Censors?

As this year’s edition came to a close, I’ve decided to look back and filter through some of the highs and lows of the fest. Among the disappointments, at the top of the list we have Ivy Ho’s Crossing Hennessy which stars Tang Wei (from Lust, Caution fame) and Jacky Cheung.

Peng Ho-Cheung’s cigarette-oriented romantic comedy Love In A Puff remained faithful to what Ho-Cheung does best: his writing. Much of this might have to do with his chosen collaborator. His co-writer, Heiward Mak (see clip below) offers much insight, modern-day relationships in the Hong Kong. She is perhaps the busiest newcomer in Hong Kong film industry, over the past couple of years she has wrote, directed and edited for herself and others, she edited Scud’s Amphetamine (see below) and directed a short film that was screened in the fest as well. While not a particularly ambitious work, her sophomore feature Ex showcases her potential, I’m looking forward in seeing what she’ll come up with in the near future. 

Off the beaten path, I discovered the anti-thesis of your typical romance film. Derek Kwok & Clement Cheng’s The Gallants mixes top notch martial arts action with some heartfelt comedic episodes making for a genuinely nice surprise, especially for fans of Kung Fu cinema. Check out my interview 

After a stint at the Berlin Film Festival, the controversial film of the festival was Scud’s Amphetamine, specifically for the nature of one rape-scene sequence where the image is pretty brutal — there are questions as to if this portion of the pic, will remain in the final picture upon its theatrical release. If censors ban it, the filmmaker is considering “blacking out” the image and keeping the sound. The lead actors, in their first major roles, offered some decent performances, but the major curiosity is whether Scud really experienced or invented what took place in the film. Amphetamine might try too hard to be a tragic, gay-themed film.

Overall, there were many more local produced films this year, compared with last year and I would have preferred if the buzz attributed to big budget films with the name cast (Fire of Conscience, Crossing Hennessy, Love in a puff and Ex) would have also included the smaller films that deserved a better fate such as La Comedie Humaine and The Break Up Club.