憂鬱之島

Tze Woon Chan sets out to depict the current state of affairs in Hong Kong as the Chinese Communist Party continues to rewrite the treaty that saw it transfer from British rule in 1997 in this interesting but rather poorly constructed documentary. It follows a group of activists - old and young - as they try to fight for democracy against an overwhelming political and authoritarian regime and at times it uses actuality to potently illustrate the dangerous predicament faced by those opposed to the increasing limitation of their freedoms. The thing about the actual documentary, though, is that is mixes fact and "faction" in a way that is sometimes none too clear. The camera work is intimate amidst the scenes of protestation, but it isn't always obvious what is real and what is staged. The narrative is clear enough - and, uniquely, demonstrates to the audience just how the locals have gone full circle from being Chinese under colonial rule, to autonomous under communist rule to now, to a large extent, wanting to be independent Hongkongers. Unlike so many other subjects of the CCP state, many of these individuals grew up with freedoms - of sex, education, liberation and having had what they are now beginning to lose and miss, there is an enhanced traction derived from their demonstrations against an authority that reminds one of David and Goliath. The chronology of that struggle is also a little muddled, I found. We move from 1967 to 1973 to now, via a series of troubles dating from the governments of both east and west and I could have been doing with a more defined structure to make it easier to follow whom, what, where, when - that context is lacking and so the narrative judders about unnecessarily. It's clearly a labour of love from this director, and some of the imagery is raw and, frankly, brutal and deeply though-provoking. Crowd funded, it is a testament to those involved that it got made at all, and it s certainly worth a watch - but perhaps a rebuild might prove more informative and useful for those less familiar with the issues and the language.