Ever since the introduction of the controversial extradition law in Hong Kong, its citizens have been divided over the consequences of the law which jeopardizes the country's freedom, as they fear a takeover from China along with a more repressive policy defining their daily lives. Given the nature of what is at stake, it only took several weeks for the protest to first escalate when the world witnessed fights between the police force and the protesters, who quickly separated into fractions which encouraged peaceful, non-violent demonstrations and those believing more radical actions were necessary. On July 1, 2019, this resulted in protesters storming the Legislative Council Complex, a dramatic peak in the demonstrations which was recorded by several activists and culminated in “Taking Back the Legislature”, a documentary consisting of their various audiovisual accounts of that day.
Taking Back the Legislature is screening at CineCina Film Festival
Over the years, there have been various accounts, documentaries and features, about the Hong Kong protests over the Extradition Bill. From shorts such as Ikuma Hori's “Montage of Hong Kong” to Zhou Bing's “Hong Kong Moments”, all of which retold the growing frustration among the protesters along with the increasing division within the country's population, those who wanted to maintain their business and had no understanding whatsoever for the movement, and those willing to risk their lives for a way of life they felt was in grave danger. “Taking Back the Legislature”, apart from being a record of a decisive moment in the movement, is a collection of snapshots emphasizing how toxic the situation has become in the months and weeks before, especially after the deaths of three protesters. As some of the more peaceful protesters and a number of legislators try to calm down the aggressive crowd in front of them and try to reason with them, you will get a good impression of the various emotions of that day and the movement as a whole, ranging from depression to anger and hopelessness.
Even though “Taking Back the Legislature” is the account of one day, the images and the various events recorded shed a grim light on the possible future for Hong Kong and its people. While the bill has been withdrawn, the memory of these days in 2019 lingers in the minds of many people, as well as the feeling of despair, the violence and the deaths. With the protesters finally able to enter the building, you might begin to wonder what lasting wounds these events have caused for the lives of many, and what this actually means for Hong Kong.
In the end, “Taking Back the Legislature” is a thought-provoking documentary about one of the most decisive days during the Hong Kong protests. Apart from providing a record of the events and how they escalated, it may shed some light into the possible future of Hong Kong as the wounds of that day, the physical and the psychological, may never heal again.
