Summary
An important bit of commentary that explores both ageism and homophobia in Hong Kong via some solid central performances.
LGBTQI+ rights have come a long way in Hong Kong over the last few decades. As recently as last year, the Yeung Chu Wing v Secretary for Justice case finally conceded that laws specifically targeting gay men are incompatible with the Basic Law.
Yet there is still a long way to go, with recognition of rights for same-sex couples, marriage equality and public housing rights still in contention. With SUK SUK (叔．叔), known as Twilight’s Kiss in some markets, director Ray Yeung explores the underlying discrimination from a perspective that’s been largely unexplored in Hong Kong cinema: the intersection of ageism and homophobia.
Of course, LGBTQI+ representation has been historically slim in Hong Kong cinema. Even as one of the longest-running programmers as Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (HKLGFF), Yeung conceded in a recent interview that there’s “really only a handful of LGBT movies locally. Happy Together (1997), He’s a Woman, She’s a Man (1994), Sisterhood (2016) and the work of filmmaker Scud (Utopia) are notable exceptions, of course.
In Yeung’s latest film, Pak (Tai Bo), an aged taxi driver who refuses to retire, meets Hoi (Ben Yuen), a retired divorcee and single father, in a park. Both men are closeted, having hidden their homosexuality for decades. Over the course of the film, Yeung studies them as they explore a kind of intimacy previously denied to them.
Relying largely on the central performances of Tai Bo (who won at the HKFCS Awards) and Ben Yuen (nominated for a Golden Horse), Yeung’s gentle pacing and often austere approach to the material sometimes keeps us at arm’s length. It’s worth noting that neither of the leads are themselves gay, although also tackling representation in performance may have been too big a bite for one small film.
In between tender montages set to music of Qing Shan, Yeung manages to fit in an undercurrent of activism as well. Groups of gay men sit around in saunas, clubs and restaurants discussing ways in which they’ve had to stay hidden to some extent. The issue of gay nursing homes becomes something of a sub-plot, culminating in testimony delivered by activists to a hearing. It might result in a bittersweet realisation for our leads, but it’s a point plainly made for audiences.
On some levels, Yeung’s film is more successful as a message delivery device than as a narrative piece. Yet for an industry where gay characters have frequently been used for comic effect or as the best friend in a rom-com, SUK SUK represents something of a quantum leap for Hong Kong cinema.
2019 | Hong Kong | DIRECTOR: Ray Yeung | WRITER: Ray Yeung | CAST: Tai Bo, Ben Yuen, Patra Au | DISTRIBUTOR: MIFF 2020 (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 92 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 6-23 August 2020 (MIFF)
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