Friday, September 16, 2022

The Longest Summer (1998) [Film Review]

September 16, 2022 1998, china, Drama, fruit chan, hong kong, sam lee, slice of life

The Longest Summer; or, Lost in a Big City
I'm disappointed in you! Want me to join the mob? Want me to rob a bank? You think you're cool? I'm disappointed in you! I pity your parents! You understand?
The next movie from Fruit Chan’s The Handover Trilogy, The Longest Summer, is one of the few Hong Kong productions which openly addresses the 1997 transfer of power. Unlike Made in Hong Kong, the movie focuses on a group of retired soldiers who try to find a new way of life in post-British Hong Kong.

Release Info

Directed by: Fruit Chan Starring: Tony Ho, Sam Lee, Jo Koo

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 去年煙花特別多 Runtime: 128 min

Synopsis
The story revolves around five officers of the now disbanded Hong Kong Military Service Corps. Jobless and with no prospects, the retired officers decide to rob a bank, but in such a way that no one will get hurt. Surprisingly, the bank is robbed by another team of bandits just moments before the protagonists were about to enter the building. However, they manage to snatch the stolen cash and hide it. All of that happens during the period of the handover of power. However, there is a growing distrust among the colleagues about the money.

Kick the Habit
The Longer Summer is, in my opinion, Fruit Chan’s best motion picture. The director managed to craft a dynamic drama in which the main hero has to give up his entire identity, his own subconscious, in order to be able to embrace the new state of affairs. As a result, it can be inferred that the colonial legacy of Britain as well as the Chinese advent of communism are nothing more but ideological burdens.

The is perhaps most visible in the scene where the main hero, Ga Yin (Tony Ho), is informed by his triad boss that Hong Kong turned into a baby within the span of just one day. Indeed, this change is observable with the singing of Auld Lang Syne in two languages and with the arrival of the People’s Liberation Army.

Interestingly, this movie heavily emphasises Fruit Chan’s fascination with urban space. We get to see lots of scenes with the characters riding through Hong Kong’s downtown or being surrounded by the city’s hustle and bustle. This is arguably the strongest aesthetic advantage of the film.

The plotline itself is quite slow-paced and serves to initiate a discussion about the pros and cons of the handover of power. The scene in which the retired soldiers salute the People’s Liberation Army is, indeed, the most touching, but the grand moment is interrupted by a baffling police chase after a guy running with a melon. Hong Kong has truly become a baby that needs to grow up and stand on its own. The sad ending of the film communicates just that.

Recommendations
I recommend The Longest Summer to anyone who would like to see some tidbits from Hong Kong’s history. Unfortunately, the movie is not available on Blu-ray which is a real shame. As a result, we are forced to admire the beauty of Hong Kong cityscape in a SD format. If you are not interested in the story, then watch the film just for the visuals. You won’t be disappointed.

Overall score: 8/10

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