Hong Kong Family 過時・過節 (2022) Dir: TSANG Hing Weng Eric [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023]

Hong Kong Family   

過時・過節　

Release Date: 2022

Duration: 112 mins.

Director: TSANG Hing Weng Eric

Writer: Lou Shiu-Wa, Leung Chuen-Yeung (Screenplay),

Starring: Teresa Mo, Tse Kwan Ho, Edan Lui, Hedwig Tam, Angela Yuen,

IMDB

Family can be like shoelaces. The tighter they are, the more they hurt. That sentiment is on display in Hong Kong Family, the feature film debut of Erik Tsang. Drawing on personal experiences, Tsang cooks up a feast of an ensemble drama where each character’s inability to communicate forms the ingredients for the split experienced by a working-class family of four during a Winter Solstice dinner and the slow process of washing away the bitter aftertaste years later.

Even before the dinner tensions are cooking away as the family dip in and out of arguments while trapped together in a car as they deliver ingredients to the matriarch’s house where the meal will take place. The hen-pecking mother, Ling (Teresa Mo) and taciturn father, Chun (Tse Kwan Ho), bicker over his job loss, tight finances, and moving home. Their shy daughter, Ki (Hedwig Tam), uses her ear phones to confine herself to her own world while their hotshot son, Yeung (Edan Lui), overconfidently plays peacemaker when not playing his Sony PSP. Nobody is communicating. All are stewing away with different flavours of resentments.

A Glimpse at the Japanese Films and a Selection of Others at Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023

Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023 kicks off on Friday and lasts from March 10th to March 19th. There are around 50 films programmed that will be screened at cinemas across the city. Almost all of the films will come with English subtitles and there will be guests appearing at various screenings (guest schedule).

Here’s the festival trailer:

I had the opportunity to write about each of the films for the festival programme and I can say that this year has a rich variety of works from newer talents, particularly from Hong Kong and Japan where we have newbie directors working on their debuts or third or second film projects. To my mind, this is one of the functions of a festival: a place for newer talents to show their work. There are also works by established filmmakers and experimental works, too. The quality of all is very high.

As for this preview, I want to take the time to highlight the Japanese films and some of the other works that caught my eye and that I hope to write about in the coming months. Hopefully, this will inspire people to try out the films!

I’ve placed the synopses I wrote for the festival below. To go directly to the festival page for each film, click on the titles.