6. The Way We Are (2008)
Hui presents another take on the “city of sadness”, which, although filled with sad stories, is also the place of good people, willing to help each other, kindness, and a strong resolve towards leaving their troubles behind and enjoying what they have, despite how little it is. In that fashion, Hui induces the film with a sense of optimism, which is presented by a number of events, but mainly through Cheung's character, who remains cheerful throughout the film's duration. The way she deals with her son's idleness, the fact that she does not show any jealousy towards her relatives, who were supported during their education days by her and are now rich, in contrary to her who has been always poor, and particularly the way she jumps into helping Ms Kwai are the most distinct aspects of the aforementioned tendency. “The Way We Are” is an ode to realism, which highlights an unknown aspect of both Hong Kong and Tin Shui Wai and that is where its biggest value lie, as it focuses on people whose lives would be presented, very rarely, to any kind of audience. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
7. Night and Fog (2009)
Hiu-ling (Zhang Jingchu) is living her dream. As a young girl from China, she met the perfect man, Li Suma (Simon Yam), went to live with him in the city of dreams – Hong Kong. Together they had two beautiful daughters and lived happily until death did them part. Night and fog – both reduce the visibility of those things that are not comfortable to face. “Night and Fog”, like the film “The Way We Are” (2008) focuses on life in Tin Shui Wai, a marginal neighbourhood in the northwest of Hong Kong, where the majority of immigrants live. Hui specifically targets domestic violence that is far from rare in Hong Kong, and have become a thing everybody knows but no one speaks of. Especially, as the help from the police or social agencies is subject to conditions which only few abused immigrant women from China can meet.(Krisitna Aschenbrennerova)
8. A Simple Life (2011)
“A Simple Life” has a simple story but, nevertheless, is full of authentic emotions. Understated and touching, this movie is about bonds that go beyond blood and the affection that makes a simple life so special… “A Simple Life” is a movie that restores hope and trust in humanity and in love coming in unexpected forms, and is a glorious display of the best of Hong Kong cinema. (Adriana Rosati)
9. The Golden Era (2014)
What distinctly emerges from “The Golden Era” is the portrait of a modern woman who refused all her life to conform with the patriarchal models and expectations imposed on her and bravely channeled the struggle of her demanding choices into a brilliant, creative flow. (Adriana Rosati)
10. Our Time Will Come (2017)
Behind the spy-thriller veneer, this is a quintessential Ann Hui film and the espionage theme quickly reverts into the director's trademark perspective, where the war is filtered through the eyes of ordinary people dealing with tragic and unexpected circumstances. Far from a traditional war epic “Our Time Will Come” is instead a powerful epic of endurance and struggle. Fights are sporadic and often in the background, what we rather see are the subtle details of the everyday life under strain, little gestures, stretching the rice, wartime economy, giving shelter, all narrated with Hui's delicate touch and empathy. Every single scene of the movie posses an undercurrent flow of emotions but the director chooses to maintain a quiet and distant tone. Understated and realistically narrated the story unravels in front of our very eyes without using a defined point-of-view character. (Adriana Rosati)
