[Fieldwork Report] The Narrow Road

 

Both : (Music) Good afternoon! Welcome to C&C podcast! 

 

Ho: C&C podcast will introduce a new movie to you at 2 o’ clock, every Wednesday.   Good afternoon, I am your host Charlotte. 

 

Ip: I am your host Chloe. 

 

Ho: Good afternoon Chloe, it has been a long time since I have seen you without a mask! 

 

Ip: Yes, the day of unmasking had “finally” come. I have waited for this moment for 3  

years! 

 

Ho: Seems like we have overcome Covid, right? 

 

Ip: Yea. Covid is a hard time for Hong Kongers, especially for Chak and Candy. 

 

Ho: Oh Chak and Candy, do you mean the main characters of the film that we are going to introduce today? 

 

Ip: Yes, you are right! Let’s get down to business, today, we are going to talk about a local film called The Narrow Road. It is a 2022 Hong Kong drama film and the second full-length feature directed by Lam Sum. The film is set in the early days of Covid in Hong Kong. 

 

Ho: I remember during that time people were more and more concerned about hygiene issues, leading to the rise of cleaning and disinfection services. The male protagonist Chak is one of them. He struggles to keep his cleaning company afloat during that time. He later develops a bond with a newly hired cleaner Candy. She is Chak’s neighbor and also a young single mother. The rest of the film describes how these two grassroots fight to survive in a difficult time while experiencing joy, sorrow, and misery together.  

 

Ip: Thank you, Charlotte, for the brief summary. The reason why we want to introduce Narrow Road is that it strongly reflects and ties in with the scenarios and difficulties of Hong Kong during the pandemic. 

 

Ho: Yea we think that listeners can more easily relate to their stories as we all know how difficult it was during covid. 

 

Ip: The city has undergone unwanted and unprecedented changes, including people’s habits, the city space, and the atmosphere. The film succeeded in capturing these changes and their massive impact on grassroots, and how they are being trapped in a cycle of helplessness during covid.
 

Ho: There are many parts in the movies that are worth discussing, but today we will focus on three of them. 

 

Ip: What are they? 

 

Ho: The first one is how the pandemic enhances the sense of isolation and limitation. The second idea we want to discuss is that old things will inevitably be replaced by new ones. The last point will be the contrast between a space and the people inhabiting it. These core themes are all reflected in capturing different interior spaces and the cityscape, especially in older Hong Kong districts. 

 

Ip: Do you mean places like To Kwa Wan, Sham Shui Po, and Shek Kip Mei? These places pop up in my mind when you mention Hong Kong old districts!  

 

Ho: Yeah you are right. With Covid-19 being the dominant theme of the film, many of the spaces that appeared center around the ideas I mentioned just now. 

 

Ip: From the movie we see that most of the places that require Chak’s cleaning service are indoors, for instance, restaurants, stores, and clinics. These are all enclosed areas that help enhances the sense of isolation and limitation we experience during the pandemic. This idea is further reinforced by mise-en-scene, where the characters are positioned against a wall or a corner of the room. Can you relate this idea to other scenes from The Narrow road, Charlotte? 

 

Ho: Of course! The idea reminds me of a shocking scene in the movie. It’s a tiny apartment and its owner, which is an elderly man. Chak and Candy received a call to clean and disinfect the apartment, where they see the decomposition remains of the elderly’s body on the floor. I can still remember the moment that I saw this scene, I share the same feeling with Candy, she was left in shock, just like me! 

 

Ip: That’s probably one of the most remarkable scenes in The Narrow road. Then how did Chak react to the situation?  

 

Ho: Chak decided to have Candy step back while he handles the cleaning himself. He is brave! 

 

Ip: Also, in the scene, Candy is positioned against the corner of the apartment, standing still and appearing to be helpless, mise-en-scene is used. Along with the elderly man who hopelessly committed suicide, these elements further highlight the idea of being trapped. 

 

Ho: This feeling is universal during the pandemic because of strict quarantine measures, but it is especially relatable to grassroots who have long been trapped in a capitalistic society with limited social mobility, echoing the background of Chak and Candy.  

 

Ip: Yea. I can’t imagine how grassroots living in cramped flats for a long period of time. We have discussed a lot of enclosed and indoor venues, shall we move on to talk about outdoor areas, I think some of the audience may also want to know more about outdoor places filmed in The Narrow road. 

 

Ho: Sure. Just now you mentioned the place To Kwa Wan. Do you know most of the film was actually shot in the 13 Streets in To Kwa Wan? 

 

Ip: yea because characters like Chak, Candy, and many of Chak’s friends live there. They all belong to the working class and have been facing job insecurity during the pandemic. The location and the people within it strongly tie in with the idea of the old versus the new, where the former will inevitably be replaced by the latter. Can you recall any scenes that present this idea? 

 

Ho: Umm let me think…… How about the scene where Chak and Candy stare into the distance from a rooftop in 13 Streets?  It used to be the sea view of the old Kai Tak airport but is now being transformed into a pier instead. There are also new modern buildings positioned behind them in this scene, contrasting the characters who live in “the old”, with the society which is approaching “the new”. This shows the inevitable change and replacement within the city, like architecture, businesses, or even people themselves! 

 

Ip: That’s a good example. That scene also foreshadows the abrupt closing of Chak’s cleaning company, because of their inability to purchase expensive disinfection alcohol. They ended up getting sued for using cheaper ones and are replaced by newer cleaning companies. At last, both Chak and Candy lost their jobs as cleaners, which again ties in with the idea of the elimination of the old by the new. 

 

Ho: It’s amazing how the director is able to present multiple ideas using just a single scene! I didn’t realize that before. 

 

Ip: Chak later became a security guard at a mall, and Candy became a worker at a dirty arcade with a lot of filthy and vulgar people. They merely moved from one enclosed space to another one. Charlotte, do you want to make a guess, what idea did the director want to present to the audience through this scene? 

 

Ho: Well… does the director want to show the real situation of the people living under  

poverty? 

 

Ip: Good guess. The director tries to show that grassroots can’t escape their reality of limitation and lack of social mobility. The ending of the film also elevated this idea. It captures Chak seeing a pile of vomit on the mall’s floor, which is surrounded and blocked by barricades. He later picks up a mop, enters the barricade, and cleans it up. It is just like what he used to do as a cleaner, showing how the characters enter a new constrained space, and they still can’t escape the cycle of helplessness. 

 

Ho: The film is able to first capture a physical replacement of the old by the new, which is the Kai Tak airport, then move on to make a connection to the idea of enclosed spaces and limitations. It’s hard to believe it’s a production from a newbie director. 

 

Ip: The spaces in the film, and the changes in these spaces, accurately present the reality of the working class in Hong Kong. They were adversely affected by the pandemic, for example, decrease in income, being forced to be unemployed, etc.   

 

Ho: Covid really impacts us a lot, especially the lower income families. It’s a depressing portrait of Hong Kong’s status quo. 

 

Ip: Yes. Sad but true. Films always reflect the reality of society. 

 

Ho: Umm, I may say part of the reality, but not 100%. There is a stark contrast between the experience in cramped spaces in the film versus in real life. For example, the appearance of Candy and Chu in one of To Kwa Wan alleys late at night. They are seen running and chasing after each other while tearing down posters on walls. The joyful atmosphere they create contrasts with the dark and depressing look of the street. 

 

Ip: I know which scene you are talking about. Upon the scene, Chak can’t help but smile when he heard their laughter from his window. What is the difference between this scene and reality? 

 

Ho: In reality, we would think it is dangerous to walk on streets with few people, especially streets in older districts and during nighttime. But for Candy and Chu, these streets are where they have lived for a long time and are almost like playgrounds to them. 

 

Ip: I see. I have another example. There is a contrast between Candy and Chu’s subdivided flat and the subdivided flat in real life. 

 

Ho: Can you give more details to our listeners? 

 

Ip: Sure. In reality, subdivided flats are so cramped and tiny that they limit a person’s quality of life. We would also stereotypically think of poor and unhygienic living conditions and would believe it is troublesome to live in these places. However, Candy and Chu try their best to decorate their tiny apartment with drawings, lights and paper origami. Chu even made a drawing of a sea view and stuck it on top of their bed, saying they finally have a view from their room.  

 

Ho: They are able to make use of the small space to create a warm and homey atmosphere for the two of them!  

 

Ip: The optimistic and hopeful attitude of Candy and Chu really contrasts with the depressing mood of society under Covid, and can also be seen as an attempt to find joy amidst the sorrow during a difficult time. 

 

Ho: It’s sad that it does not give them the power to leave the cycle of helplessness, as they are in fact still trapped in enclosed spaces because of the lack of social mobility as grassroots.  

 

Ip: Sadly, nothing can be changed despite the optimistic attitude of Candy and Chu. It seems like only an improvement in financial capability can change their poor situation. Oh, It looks like we’ve run out of time, so I guess we should summarise today’s content now. 

 

Ho: Okay. By capturing and visually showing the urban spaces of Hong Kong, The Narrow Road recreates a realistic image of Hong Kong and social problems of grassroots. The film is able to leave a strong and relatable impression on the local audience, at the same time recording the city’s history during a difficult era that is the pandemic. 

 

Ip: Thank you for your summary. The movie is still coming out in local cinemas. If you are interested in The Narrow Road, go buy tickets and enjoy the movie. Thank you for listening C&C podcast, hope you enjoy it, see you again at 2, next Wednesday. 

 

Both: byeeee (music) 

 

 

Ip Yuen Yi, Chloe (3036064313) and Ho Charlotte Kristen (3036078613)