Film Name:缘路山旮旯 / Far Far Away
I believe no one would have expected that this Hong Kong romance movie with no big stars and a production cost of less than HK$3 million would earn more than HK$10 million at the box office.
From the beginning, the movie was not taken seriously and was not well received, but the word-of-mouth was so great that the movie schedule increased, and it also became the No. 8 in the Top 10 Hong Kong Local Movies of 2022.
It’s like the hero of this movie, who is mediocre in appearance but wins the heart of the beautiful heroine.
The title of the movie 《Far Far Away》 has a very Hong Kong phonetic character. “The name “Far Far Away” refers to the path of destiny, and together with the words “nook and cranny”, it not only means that this is a nook and cranny, but also means that destiny is actually in the nook and cranny, or the path of destiny is far away, but it exists.
The main story is about the hero Qiu Zhihou and the five girls he meets around him, including A Lee, Dai Hua Hua Fleur, Mena, the goddess Lisa, and the baa sister Melanie. In the same year, they travel through the nooks and crannies of Hong Kong, from acquaintance to familiarity.
In terms of setting, Yau Chi-Hau lives in Tseung Kwan O, Sai Kung; A Lee lives in Sha Tau Kok, North District; Fleur, the flower girl, lives in Ha Pak Nai, Yuen Long; Mena, the goddess, lives in Tai O, Outlying Islands; Lisa, the goddess, lives in Lai Chi Wo, Mui Tsz Lam; and Melanie, the goat girl, lives in Ching Pik Estate, Lantau Island.
It can be seen that the choice of these places represents the director’s selfishness in showing the characteristics and landscapes of these places in Hong Kong under the camera.
For example, Cheng Pik Estate was actually a private housing estate built in the mode of a resort, with construction planning standards targeting at affluent families, but the subsequent financial turmoil, coupled with the Shek Kwu Chau incinerator incident, and so on, has turned it into an independent housing estate with extremely poor transportation and ancillary facilities. It is also jokingly called a hidden mansion.
If we simply introduce these, the movie will become a documentary. So the director sets up a love story, a story that we don’t see too often in reality, but one that makes sense.
The main characters, Yau Chi-Hau and A Lee, are colleagues in the same company, and this part of the story is not much developed, but there are references to Sha Tau Kok and the restricted area paper, also known as the “Frontier Restricted Area Permit”. This is quite a characteristic of Hong Kong, as the need for a Closed Area Permit to enter an area proves that the place is special.
Interestingly enough, Melanie lives in Cheng Pik Estate on Lantau Island, which is also under restricted area management. Except for local residents or those who have applied for the permit, other people are not allowed to enter the estate just because they want to.
There is also Mena, who lives in Lung Hin Court in Tai O, which belongs to the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS), a kind of public housing sold by the government at a price lower than the market price to those who cannot afford private housing, and the difference in price has to be made up for in the event of sale, and a lottery has to be conducted.
It can be said that set in a love story, this movie actually explores a lot. It even touches on the relationship between the two places in 2019, and also mentions the current “immigration”.
The movie 《Far Far Away》 talks about a lot of details, but the part about the 5 love stories, except for the part of Goat Melanie, the other parts are not outstanding, as if the male lead’s looks, is just too ordinary.
However, Melanie’s portrayal is natural and not pretentious, and the sparks between her and the male lead are more real. As a result, Melanie was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 41st Hong Kong Academy Awards, but the movie did not have an edge, so it is unlikely that she will win.
Having said that, is the movie any good?
In fact, as an easy love movie, if you have feelings for Hong Kong, it is indeed recommendable.
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