Double Bill: Quattro Hong Kong I & II
Various Directors
Hong Kong, 2011
Cornerhouse, 6 November 2011
This event featured eight films of 15 minutes duration or less by various directors, most centreing on Hong Kong as a city.
Or the experience of city life: Hong Kong could be anywhere.
The films varied in character, but only one (which I won’t name) disappointed slightly. In Brillante Mendoza’s ‘Purple’ a man remembers his fallen wife – it was elegiac and moving, this film – whereas Ho Yu-hang’s ‘Open Verdict’ was a hilarious crime story in the mold of Tarantino.
Perhaps the most memorable was ‘We Might as well Be Strangers’ by Heiward Mak. Here two young people walk around the city at night, talking on a mobile phone, unaware really of their surroundings. It’s a film about dislocation, as much as anything. Will the two meet at last? Are they even talking to each other? We are left guessing right up to the end.
Double Bill: Quattro Hong Kong I & II was shown as part of the Asia Triennial Manchester 11 Film Programme. Forthcoming films can be seen here.
Jildy Sauce 