Film Review: Trivisa (樹大招風)
Source: 第19屆校園記者：許學文拍樹大招風 呼應社會
The film, Trivisa, created
from the story of HK’s ‘Three thieves’ kings’, Cheung Tze Keung, Yip Kai Foon
and Kwai Ping Hung, it was filmed by three different director and put together
under one producer. The movie’s title, ‘Trivisa’, means the three kinds of
troubles in Buddhism: greed, anger and delusion, each of the major character in
the film represented one trouble, which are also the most common problems
happened to Hongkonger when facing
changes.
Although the film seems
to be a biography of the three thieves, it is actually about the impact on Hongkonger when changes happened in HK in the 90s and
how they use different methods to grab everything they can before the changes happen.
The ideas of ‘change’ is obvious by the TV news clip showed at the beginning
and the end of the movie, it also mentioned the promise on HK to remain unchanged
for 50 years, when link to the changes and uncertainty appeared in HK recently,
making this film has a deeper meaning in political and society under its
biography cover.
In the film, Yip faced several difficulties after a
successful heist, forcing him to quit being a robber and become a smuggler, but
when he felt being insulted by Chinese governors and betrayed by some Chinese,
he can’t hold the anger and returned being a robber. This part showed the
reality that even the talented in HK have to bow before the Chinese in order to
adapt to changes and to earn for themselves. The end of Yip’s story is also
demonstrating another social issue happening in HK, which is the tightening of
China-Hong Kong relationships and local xenophobia.
The other
thief, Cheung, his story is not closely related to social issues in HK, but the
song he sing in the movie indicated some thoughts of Hongkonger. The first song
is Jacky Cheung’s ‘’, which means ‘how could I not regret of letting
you go’. This song is indicating the
thoughts that many Hongkonger are regretting about why they would let HK return
to China in 90s, as they are now suffer much when adapting and living under
China’s rule. The ending credit song is a new version of Kenny Bee’s’’, which
means ‘let everything pass away with wind’, this also telling the audience it’s
time to stop looking back (before 1997) and make another step forward.
Source: action
still from Trivisa
Kwai, the
last thief, his story shows the fear deep inside every Hongkonger when facing
changes. In his story, the gun seller said, ”You better do it before the reunification,
once it happens, you can’t even feed yourself!” (就係未落來先要做，落左來嚟呀，飯都唔畀你吃呀!) This is a typical fear in Hongkongers mind when
talk about the reunification before it. They fear of losing everything they
once own, they fear they won’t be adapt the new environment, and they fear that
their time has gone.
Source: action still from Trivisa
Another
important point in the film is the only place that the three thieves show in the
same scene, which is the restaurant ‘Fong Moon Lau’ (風滿樓). The
name was taken from a poem written in Tang Dynasty, the whole sentence should
be “The dark clouds have just floated on the edge of the stream, and the sunset
has sunk past the pavilion. The rain is coming, and the wind is whispering in
the whole house.” (溪雲初起日沈閣，山雨欲來風滿樓。) It means that the situation is already changing
before you can notice. This point out the topic once again, which is changes
and its impact to Hongkonger and raise a question that could suit the recent
situation of hongkongers:
Would you accept and adapt the changes or refuse it and do
something?
References:
Chen Xiaoyun and Zhang Qingmin 2016, 第19屆校園記者：許學文拍樹大招風 呼應社會 , picture, Ming Pao Canada, Richmond B.C, viewed 31 March 2017,http://www.mingpaocanada.com/van/htm/News/20160715/HK-gfg1_r.htm
DAI MO Mok 2014, 怎麼捨得你mv, online video, 2 July, viewed 31 March 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TET2lZeyS2o
Hong Kong Economic Journal Company Limited 2016, 文憑試衝刺10︰中港矛盾, Hong Kong Economic Journal Company Limited, viewed 31 March 2017, http://iknow.hkej.com/php/article.detail.php?aid=21009
MM@DBC.HK 2014, 【許諾。三十年】《中英聯合聲明》簽署三十周年, online video, 19 December, viewed 31 March 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR_Jg36X7ww
2007, 鍾鎮濤 - 讓一切隨風, online video, 2 July, viewed 31 March 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mmm-XvqEUA
Dear Chun-yu, The review of "Trivisa" has a nice angle. Making use of the story of the three "kings of theieves", the review illustrates how the returning of Hong Kong's sovereignty is indirectly and directly demonstrated in the film. The challenge to review such a complicated matter in a short essay is understood. But as the theme is focussed, the essay provides a pretty comprehensive discussion of the relevant issue. Please beware of the mechanical errors in writing which interfere understanding.
ReplyDeleteFrankie