Trilogy

 

There are parts of our world that we so often only see from one angle. It might be the most posh perspective, or the most nefarious…but it’s usually the public persona that we’ve all come to know.

THE HONG KONG TRILOGY from filmmakers Jenny Suen and Christoper Doyle is about a desire to show a side of Hong Kong from the perspective of people who live in Hong Kong. The film is divided into three volumes. THE PRESCHOOLED focuses on the children of the neighbourhood and some of their educators. We are able to bask in their liveliness, their awkwardness, and their curiosity as they learn about the world around them. THE PREOCCUPIED introduces us to the young adult activists, artists, and other romantics who were all highly involved in Hong Kong’s recent Umbrella Revolution spin on the Occupy Movement. They are hoping to make Hong Kong a better place for the first group that we met.

The final group is THE PREPOSTEROUS – a group of seniors and elderly who aren’t ready to cash in their chips despite being on in their years. Instead they continue to speed date and enjoy social circles that can include everything from attending impromptu concerts to going mini golfing. In these circles, The Preschooled and Preoccupied can likewise be seen in the background creating a warm atmosphere for the older generation to enjoy.

The film isn’t interested on being any sort of authoritative look at Hong Kong at this time and place – no grand masterpiece exploring all facets of life in one of the most iconic cities in our planet. Instead, it is interested in capturing a delicate snapshot of a moment. Like that crazy selfie that I’ve posted above, THE HONG TRILOGY is immediate, a little crazy, full of life, and has a sense of joy it wants to share. At the premiere of this film, Christopher Doyle said that to him film is about a balance of the hoped-for and the perceived. So when one applies that to THE HONG KONG TRILOGY, one sees that the hopes and perceptions of the smallest citizens carry every bit of importance as those of  the titans.

Their lives and their home is full of oxygen and imagination, and we are so much the better after they share their gifts with us.

The movie seems to want us to understand that every community needs a healthy dose of crazies, kooks, artists and poets to thrive. Every community needs intimacy and grand voices, and that without them we are left with an uneasy sadness.

THE HONG KONG TRILOGY is fleeting – like a paper plane or an autumn sunset. In a blink, everyone we meet in this film will go on to become different people…so it’s important that we celebrate who they are right now, and how they make this world a better place.