The Way We Are

The Chinese name is rather 'exotic' to me - it refers to an actual community in HK that looks familiar on the DVD cover but nevertheless, unknown and unusual to me. The English title though puts me off a little bit as it sounds too much like The Way We Were, a disaster in both performance and script. This initial reaction to the name prefigured the experience of watching the film.

I had watched Ann Hui's film before with Woman at 40s being the most memorable one, and I have also watched her on screen, with the most recent one being a cameo role as a director in My Name Is Fame. When asked by my neighbour how I thought of her, my comment was she had something to say but not always to the effect that I fully followed or understood. The Way We Were, a gritty film on the lives of the Mr Jones in HK, though seemed to manage to change this impression a bit.

To begin, this film was a bit like a documentary film in many ways; the realistic setting, the use of props(with characters dwelling in shoebox apartment and rustic docor), and the seemingly zero make-up of the main characters. In other words, unlike most glossy HK films, the film has attempted a realistic look. But the real surprise has been the way the story, or the lack of it, been evolved.

Although there are, in effect, three main characters, there are no storyline, no build-up of conflict and therefore no climax. What we see - for those who have the patience to follow it through - are like life itself - the routine everyday lives, through which Ann Hui seems to have found beauty from the ordinariness, kindness in its small way, and friendship in the unexpected places.

It was like a cup of green tea, not much flavour or taste, but refreshing nevertheless.

As an outsider, I do find some sadness in the character of the son. From his single mum, he inherited kindness and generosity with his time, but he is in a way, lost in that he does not seem to have any passion for anything. He manages OK but just OK, and to me, that is the greatest sadness which I am not sure if the director wants us to see.