Some dreams are dashed and others are birthed in Heng Fai Hong's drama about artists in crisis. Partly inspired by Anton Chekhov's play “The Seagull” which also has its concrete place in the film, the script of “Kissing The Ground You Walked On” was shifting its shape many times over years before it took its final form. Before settling for “The Seagull”, Hong was discussing options with his theatre colleague about the play that could be used in the film since he wanted to have a theatre troupe as part of the plot. When it was decided that Chekhov's classic would be the most ideal layout for character development, one of the leads was given similarities with Konstantin Treplev, and the other with Nina. Even the film's title in English is a quote from the play. Notwithstanding the inspiration, this film can barely be seen as an ecranisation of Chekhov. Heng Fai Hong's debut feature “Kissing The Ground You Walked On” is an original, finely written and beautifully acted drama with lots of warmth.
Kissing The Ground You Walked On at International Film Festival Rotterdam
After a long period of writer's block, Chao (Pak Hou Wong) has given up on his dream of becoming an established writer, settling for a job as a real estate agent. Besides helping other people to find their apartments, he is also looking for an ideal candidate to sublet one of his rooms to. People are coming to inspect his place, but he seems rather unimpressed by the potential tenants until a colleague of his comes with a suggestion. She knows someone who could be the right match, she thinks.
At first also suspicious about Chong (Sheung Lam), a young man who comes to his door and presents himself as an actor, Chao becomes curious about his innocent ramble about art. Consequently, when he moves in, the two men start discretely spying on each other as their contradicting natures do not allow other ways. Introverted Chao observes his tenant's fruitless attempts to comprehend the part he is expected to play and finds inspiration in them. He also shows a little bit more than a healthy interest in his personal life, listening in on chats (and much more) whenever the opportunity arises.
The interior shots are drenched in dark shadows of yellow gold and blue, and the set's numerous doors and windows lengthen the space making the intrusion easier. The camera is stable, intuitively measuring distance from faces and bodies in movement or in moments of great intimacy. For his work on “Kissing The Ground You Walked On” DP Wai Kin Sou (or Charlie) was nominated for the Golden Horse Award. Another impressive aspect of the movie is its sound design handled by Ellison Lau, who recorded everything on the spot, and played with the existing sounds penetrating the house from the outside. He was also nominated for the Golden Horse.
Rather than sticking strictly to the script, Heng Fai Hong was giving little tasks to his actors in scenes where this was possible, asking them to talk about certain topics in a manner they would in real life. He also included amateurs in the cast ensemble to play themselves. The female real estate agent who works in Chao's agency is the same woman who rented the house to the crew, to shoot the film in it, and the diverse tenants seen in the film are real occupants of the house.
As the old saying goes: one man's misery is another man's fortune. Chong is devastated after losing the role of Nina in “The Seagull” and getting an insignificant, small presence on stage. But when he discovers that he became a main character in Chao's book, where he shines as a successful performer, this brings him to think about his actual ability to act. Circling around each other, the two men begin to understand their own weaknesses but still prefer to perform a version of themselves. In a way also both closeted, with Ching hiding his homosexuality from the family, and Chao not letting it bloom, they are caught in a web of lies. In letting his characters embrace their flaws, the writer/director makes them believable, and their actions natural.
This well accomplished story about the complicated relationship between the love of art, inspiration and talent had its international premiere in the “Bright Future” program of Rotterdam International Film Festival
