BREAK
UP 100 (分手１００次)
Starring:
Ekin Cheng Yi-kin, Chrissie Chau Sau-na, Ivana Wong Yuen-chi
Director:
Lawrence Cheng Tan-shui
Date
of release: 11 August 2014
Category:
IIA
Break
Up 100 is a 2014 Hong Kong romantic comedy film directed by Lawrence Cheng. It
was released on 1 August 2014.
The story features the
problems and realities of the relationships in Hong Kong. Sam (Cheng), a
forty-ish kidult cohabiting with Barbra (Chau), a typical Kong girl who takes
up the role as his lover and mother, reflect so. Despite the age difference,
Sam is controlled by the bossy but caring Barbra, who looks after his needs and
even quits her job to open the café La Café Je T’aime with him.
They have been together for 8
years and their relationship has had its ups and downs. After 99 times of breakup,
they have finally given the commitment to each other. They promise each other
never say the word ‘breakup’.
At the same time, the café’s
business has grown well with their hard work. After Sam comes up with the idea
of having a "break-up mini-storage" for people to store objects of
past relationships, it soon becomes a hotspot for the separated couples to share
their stories and mend fence. But unfortunately, things don’t go as planned.
Lawrence Cheng, whose
reputation as a filmmaker to create works that bare the signifiers, like
middle-upper class characters, or relationships in cosmopolitans. Sam and
Barbra live in an unusually large flat, and they have the ability to rent the
place to start their business when the rent price is unreasonably high. The
portrayals seem unrealistic to many locals of Hong Kong, but Cheng has balanced
them out by focusing on the relationship issues, which resonate with many Hong
Kong people.
The movie also
indirectly addresses the current social phenomenon in Hong Kong, like the
gender stereotypes in the mass media. Take Barbra as the example, she is
portraying the Kong girl. Kong girls are used to describe ‘troublesome and
nasty Hong Kong women’ (Chu, 2014). They possess the characteristics such as
bad-tempered, always expecting others to comply, vanity, etc. Barbra is
controlling in terms of Sam’s personal lifestyle, financial management, or
freedom. It is often being reported in popular media that Hong Kong girls are
tough to deal with. However, the movie has somewhat proved it wrong.
The social roles of 2 genders
have been changing, where women are capable of having higher social status and
independency. Just like Barbra, she is capable of taking care of herself and
running the business of the café. It reflects the reality, in which many women
are equal to, or even surpass men.
The ideology seeps into
audiences’ minds together with the comedian elements of the film. The movie has
starred Cheng and Chau, a big movie star and a hot-hand model of Hong Kong,
which is a very unique collaboration.
What is more, the
starring of Ivana Wong and C AllStar, is also very successful. They have helped
creating many funny scenes with their acting abilities. They succeed in
bringing the laughs. As
for Chau, who displays genuine acting skill in this movie, and not just the
physical features that have made her a well-known pseudo-model. All these are the
reasons why the movie is popular.
In recent years, the
production of local movies has declined and not very welcomed by the locals of
due to many factors. But Break Up 100 has genuinely described the typical
relationships in Hong Kong, and has made it more than a generic romantic comedy.
References
Chu, Donna 2013. ‘Kong Girls and Lang Mo:
teen perceptions of emergent gender stereotypes in Hong Kong.’ Journal of Youth
Studies 17.1: 130-147.
Wrtitten by Wong
Nga Sze 10582582 / 21423469
沒有留言:
張貼留言