While the fight against the coronavirus defines the current socio-political discourse, the riots concerning the controversial Extradition Bill in Hong Kong have come to a forced rest. In the midst of new death tolls and the agenda of social distancing, some seem to have forgotten about the images of the violent clashes between protesters and the police in the middle of 2019, when it seemed like the Bill would actually become reality, until it was suspended in November. However, it is not the riots or the politics that is at the core of these images and these events, but a more pressing issue with regards to a widening social and generational gap in Hong Kong, developments and realities which constitute the foundation of “Hong Kong Moments”.
“Hong Kong Moments” is screening at DOK.Fest Munich
During the course of his 90-minute-documentary, Chinese director Zhou Bing follows a very ambitious, multi-leveled approach as he presents the lives and daily routines of several people in the midst of the riots. As the viewer becomes acquainted with Ray, the taxi driver, or Ah Bau, a radicalized activist, you will have the opportunity to understand the various positions that are at the core of these events and how they have come to emphasize the already existing gap within Hong Kong's society. Additionally, Bing adds actual footage of the riots, some of which quite shocking, in order to further underline how the positions between the various factions have hardened, pointing at something much more severe than the Extradition Bill.
Repeatedly, the camera shows the impressive skyline of Hong Kong, the streets from above, mostly filled with protesters marching, or policemen getting ready for the next wave of demonstrations. Within the course of the documentary it may become an ambivalent image for the viewer, a demonstration of democracy while also a further indicator of the tendency to escalate the aforementioned disparities of opinion. “Will Hongkongers still be Hongkongers?” is a question asked by one of the people in the film and while the answer remains open, there is no doubt about the shift that has happened in the city and its people.
Considering the various people the viewer meets in the film, what connects them is a deeply-rooted affection towards their city and what it stands, or rather could stand for. Each biography, for example, the owner of a tea shop or the aforementioned taxi driver, shows a social layer of the city, but it is also a story of how resisting the opposite position results in harassment, insults and at times even violence. Each person states his or her vision of democracy, of a peaceful life within the city, but at the same time the unwillingness to make a compromise or the scars left behind after an attack will likely drive people even further away.
In the end, “Hong Kong Moments” is an informative and provocative documentary based on the protests against the Extradition Bill, but emphasizing how the roots of the escalation point at a much deeper problem, one which will likely define society and that will need to be addressed.
