The Midnight After (那夜凌晨，我坐上了旺角開往大埔的紅van) is a Hong
Kong film released on 10th
April, 2014 which is directed by Fruit Chan. The story of this film is adapted
from a web novel which is written by ‘Mr. Pizza’. (A nickname of the writer in
Hong Kong Golden Forum) This film was claimed that it has many hidden political
messages about Hong Kong.
The story of The
Midnight After is about 17 people, including the minibus driver, who has ride
on (or drive) a red minibus going from Mong Kok to Tai Po at midnight. While
the minibus was passing through Lion Rock Tunnel, all other vehicles and people
are disappeared. Those 17 people only realized the situation when they has
arrived Tai Po. Although they have separated at first, most of them got back
together in a Cha Chan Teng (Hong Kong style restaurant) because of a mystery
phone call to all of them. The story after is about some of them are infected
and killed by an unknown virus. Most of them want to get back to the normal world.
According to a phone call from Yau Tsi-chi’s (one of the passengers)
girlfriend, they are already missing for 6 years and the final signal received
from them are on Tai Mo Shan. Therefore, for the people who still alive, they,
once again, finally get on the red minibus and go to Tai Mo Shan in order to
find out more and solve the problem. The film ended when they just leave Tai Po
and on the way to Tai Mo Shan.
Although Fruit Chan
did not directly claimed that this film is representing the situation of Hong
Kong nowadays, it is not hard for us to find out some symbols about Hong Kong
in the film. For example, the slogan of this film is “return Hong Kong to us” (還我香港). This means that
Hong Kong has already been given to ‘someone’ and we want it back. The handover
of Hong Kong in 1997 can perfectly fit the meaning of this slogan. Other than
the slogan, there are many scenes in this film probably showing the feelings of
Hong Kong people about Hong Kong by using metaphor. Lion Rock represents Hong
Kong people’s hardworking sprit. Those 17 people in the minibus are probably
the miniature of Hong Kong citizens and the minibus is representing Hong Kong. When
they passed through the Lion Rock Tunnel, everything has changed although the
place is still Hong Kong. It is like the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. It
seems that Hong Kong has nothing changed, but actually it has while we do not instantly
realize. Besides, there are also uses of metaphor of number. The number 17 is
the number of people in the minibus and also the year (2017) of selection Chief
Executive (CE) of Hong Kong by universal suffrage. The phone call from Yau’s girlfriend
is from 6 years after which is 2018. It is the year after the selection of CE.
Those people in this film also have a discussion in Cha Chan Teng about their
wonder about what would happen about Hong Kong in 2017 and 2018.
To conclude, there are
many methods being used to show the situation of Hong Kong before and nowadays.
Those memories about Hong Kong and the current situation of Hong Kong attract
people who are familiar with Hong Kong to watch it.
(591 words)
Name: Mo Chun Hin
Student ID: 10519145 / 21426753
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