Winner of Best Picture at the 9th Hong Kong Film Awards and the 36th Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan, among others, “Ordinary Heroes” has Ann Hui focusing on another type of boat people, this time the Yau Ma Tei, people who ended up living on their boats for a variety of reasons. As their living circumstances deteriorated at the end of the 70s, a number of protests, both by them and by activists, took place, against the fact that the government had never carried out a tenancy registration for them, which made it very difficult for them to resettle on land. One of the key figures in their fight was Father Franco Mella, who referred cases to volunteers and social workers, bringing more and more NGOs, such as the Society of Community Organization and Kwun Tong Inquiry Service, into the issue, while also helping with their education. The film focuses on both his and the activists’ fight, while showing the lives of these people.
The movie starts with a street performer, inspired by the real life figure Ng Chun Yin, who narrates the history of Communism in China and Hong Kong, among a number of other topics in his recurring appearances throughout the film. The next scene brings us to the main arc, revolving around Sow, a woman who has forgotten her past and suffers from mental issues, while being cared for by her friend, activist Lee, who has been in love with her ever since a pickpocket incident in high school. Eventually, it is revealed that Sow was involved with an activist, Yau, who ended up marrying someone else, while he continued, though, championing the rights of the Yau Ma Tei boat people.
Through the stories of the three, Hui also examines the issues with the wives of the boat people, most of them illegal immigrants from mainland China, who were forced to come forward in order to get amnesty for their children, along with proper birth certificates, but found themselves deported back to the mainland. At the same time, the role of Father Kam, who is based on the aforementioned Franco Mella, is also highlighted, as much as how he influenced Lee, even after his mother also becomes a part of the story.
Ann Hui directs a film that unfolds in a number of paths, occasionally intermingling, which are focused, though, around the history of activism in Hong Kong, and essentially the almost always troubled circumstances that dominated the area. That the accusations move both towards the British Government, who were the ones not granting rights to the Boat People, and the Chinese one, as the Tiananmen incident is also referred to in the movie, highlights this last aspect in the most evident fashion. These factors are presented both through the lives of the protagonists and the many events that shaped their lives, but also through archival footage and the recurring performance mentioned in the beginning, resulting in a hybrid film that is equally a drama and a documentary, with the realism that dominates the activism aspect moving distinctly towards the second aspect.
This duality is excellently portrayed through Yu Lik-wai’s cinematography, whose images are quite memorable on occasion, depicting both the beauty of the area through a number of long shots, and the awful circumstances of the boat people, through mid and close up shots. Of equal quality is Kwong Chi-leung’s editing, which combines these different elements and the unusual narrative style in a way that ends up being utterly organic.
At the same time, the romantic aspect seems somewhat disconnected and excessive in melodramatic terms, essentially drawing away from the impact of the sociopolitical comments, even though it adds to the entertainment the movie offers. This actually emerges as one of the issues that is met throughout Hui’s career, with the focus on interpersonal relations detracting from the main topic, with films like “Our Time Will Come” showcasing this fact. At the same time, that even this element works, to a point at least, within the narrative, is a testament to the Hongkongese’s directorial abilities.
The acting is one of the best traits of the title. Loletta Lee as Sow is exceptional in the way she portrays her trauma, while her smile definitely lights up the screen every time she flashes it. Lee Kang Sheng as Lee is also excellent in the way he shows his unrequited love for Sow and his effort to help the Boat People. The one who steals the show though, is Anthony Wong as Father Kam, presenting a rather eccentric priest, who is both Catholic and Trotzkist, eager to help everyone who needs help while also maintaining his unique mentality. The scenes where he plays his guitar, his interactions with Lee’s mother, and the calmness he exhibits in all circumstances are a testament to his performance.
“Ordinary Heroes” may go a bit too far in its romantic, family drama aspects, but as a political film, it succeeds to the fullest, while also highlighting Hui’s unique, but eloquent approach on her subjects.
