29 + 1
Director: Keareb Pnng
Year: 2017
Rating: 7.0
This small, intimate endearing film soaks up
Hong Kong like a sponge. It is based on a 2005 play written by the director
of this film, Kearen Pang, in her film debut. It was an enormously popular
play that ran for some time. During the end credits a bit of the play is
shown and it is interesting to see how she took that very simple set and
turned it into cinematic eye candy with some lovely visual flourishes, vivid
colors and imagination. But that isn't the heart of this film that references
so much of what some of us love about Hong Kong - egg tarts, Leslie Cheung,
Leon Lai, Wong Kar-wai, the late-night empty streets as your taxi makes for
home, the outdoor markets. the tiny restaurants. Nostalgic and slowly disappearing
from sight. It is by turns melancholy, celebratory and finally accepting.
And at times it hurts.
Set in 2005 as was the play, two single
women are both about to turn thirty years-old, but they approach it very
differently. Christy (Chrissie Chau) is a go-getter in a marketing firm with
a promotion coming to her. Her morning wake-up and get ready for work routine
is meticulous and timed. Everything has to be just right. Her circle of long-time
female friends are all about to hit that dreaded age as well and they commiserate
and laugh over drinks. It is creating a great deal of angst within her and
she feels the need to nudge her boyfriend Yeung towards marriage, but she
is missing all the signs that they are headed in the opposite direction.
Her landlord (Jan Lam) informs her that she has to leave her apartment as
they have a buyer. But he knows of a place that is available for three weeks
as the renter is off on vacation. She moves in. Her taxi driver is played
by Eric Kot in a nice bit. Her neat planned world will soon be falling apart.
She finds the diary of the renter - Wong
Tin-lok (Joyce Cheng) and begins to read it and the film shifts to telling
the story of the other about to turn 30-single-person - in fact they turn
30 on the same day. Wong is the polar opposite of Christy - few ambitions,
has worked in a record store for her boss played by Lawrence Cheng for ten
years, is not very attractive, has nothing on her horizon but she sees the
joy in everything - her record and vhr collection, her Polaroid photos, her
smiling in the wind, in the people she meets. We begin to see the world through
her eyes and so does Christie as she reads her diary. It becomes very poignant
as these two stories begin to crisscross (look in the back of the bus in
an early scene).
The acting from both women is absolutely
terrific - Chau is wonderful in an emotionally varied performance and Cheng
will melt your heart with her giddiness. In a few brilliant scenes, Chrissie
talks to her father who is in a coma and is suffering from Alzheimer's -
it is heartbreaking or when she finally realizes that her boyfriend doesn't
love her anymore and that she has to move on. She was clinging to a fantasy,
not because her heart told her to but because it was expected. It is a lovely
film and, in a time, when Hong Kong films have largely been absconded by
the Mainland money, it is heartening to see a film that feels like pure Hong
Kong. Also appearing are Elaine Jin as Chrissie's boss and Babyjohn Choi
as Wong's friend.
