The prison-like dwellings behind barred windows, having reduced to the sole material base of their inhabitants, speak of nothing but melancholia and sorrow — there are perhaps no other words than Cheung’s that better evoked my sensation of watching Made in Hong Kong.
The film engulfed me in somber grief, triggered by the hopelessness faced by the alienated youth, from whom the future slipped away. Cheung put it as the “feeling of estrangement and defamiliarization” provoked by the public housing estate. I completely resonate with him. Near the movie’s ending, the scene at nightfall of protagonist Moon’s dark-blue profile beside the barred window left my deepest impression. I can’t help but be immersed in his despair. The absence of a father, departure of a mother, and death of a loved one — all impose onto a vulnerable soul trapped in a narrow place that has no resemblance to home, or to quote Cheung, “it is space that has become haunting”.
Cheung then went further with his analysis, placing architecture into the social-economic and historical framework. This led me into an unexplored world of knowledge. Moving to Hong Kong, I was astonished by the city’s severe polarity — its vibrant skyscrapers and dismal back alleys, all compacted into the same space. Cheung’s explanation for this is inspiring: the clash between economic interest and humanitarianism resulted in the government’s negligence of the underprivileged and the uneven development in society. In this sense, Made in Hong Kong went beyond mere entertainment to become a blade that sliced through the veil hiding the city’s brutal truth.
Name: Sun Haofu (Audrey)
UID: 3035977410
I appreciate your beautiful analysis of poet-style writing. The problems in reality in HK are like the ghosts haunting this city and its inhabitants. “Ghost” in Made in Hong Kong is not just Susan’s figure as a dead girl, is more about the anxiety, helplessness, and despair for the future. Moreover, Susan is the “ghost” haunting Moon to evoke his vulnerable soul. Besides, I am looking forward to seeing more of your reflection anchored to space and architecture, like how real ghosts and living ghosts occupy and interact with space. In view of this, I would suggest you further consider the unique situation of Hong Kong cinema that ghosts still kept a strong status in the socio-culture realm even though it has long accepted the impact of Western culture and technology as a global metropolis.