My Lovely Sam Soon director Kim Yoon Cheol & screenwriter Hong Jin Ah ( The
...Directed by Fruit Chan & produced by Andy Lau, Made in Hong Kong created quite a stir when it first hit the international film scene in 1997. Originally rejected from the Hong Kong International Film Festival, the film went on to acclaim at overseas festivals before returning triumphantly to its hometown, where it went on to win a slew of local awards, including Best Picture & Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards, as well as Best Director prizes from both the Hong Kong Film Critics Society & the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards. Made in Hong Kong established director Fruit Chan as a representative Asian filmmaker, & star Sam Lee (who was discovered by Chan while skateboarding on the street) went on to become one of the most ubiquitous & fastest rising stars in the Hong Kong entertainment circle. Famously shot on leftover film stock, Made in Hong Kong channels the true spirit of independent film, utilizing real locations, unknown actors, & a creativity & resourcefulness not seen in Hong Kong Cinema in some time.
Autumn Moon (Sam Lee) is one step short of a triad, & an ocean removed from respectability. A go-nowhere, no-nothing nobody, Moon is the boss of his own gang, which has one member, a mentally slow fellow named Sylvester (Wembers Li), & passes his time playing basketball & collecting debts for local triad Wing. Marginalized by society & perhaps his own poor self-image, Moon nonetheless attempts to make his mark on the world, finding direction in his love for Ping (Neiky Yim), a young girl suffering from renal failure, & a chance connection to Susan (Amy Tam), a school girl who committed suicide. Moons quest for personal significance is full of startling violence, lyrical emotion & surprising irony, & director Fruit Chans camera is right there, infusing this street level Hong Kong tale with a vibrant & affecting immediacy. Made in Hong Kong succeeds on multiple levels
- as a tale of disaffected youth, as a rude answer to the gangster-glorifying Young & Dangerous films, & as an affecting portrait of what it means to be born, bred, & buried in Hong Kong.