Geopolitical situations around the world are at such a stage that many countries have had to take in refugees globally. While a country and its government may be welcoming of these people who're having to leave their homes for one reason or the other, the population of the accepting country may not be so warm towards to newcomers. Hong Kong has, over the years, taken in refugees from a number of South Asian countries, many of who live in the country without many rights. For his debut feature, Malaysian director Lau Kok-rui turns his camera towards not just the situation the refugees find themselves in but also towards the local public's attitude towards them.
“The Sunny Side of the Street” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival
Taxi driver Yat has a drinking habit and a bad temper, both acting as reasons why he doesn't get along with his police officer son. On the job, he seems to keep running into a Pakistani refugee, who, while in a borrowed van, gets involved in an accident with Yat's taxi. While the refugee struggles to make ends meet with his family and provide for his son Hassan, another road accident with Yat causes his death, leaving little Hassan fatherless and aimless. When he falls with a bad crowd, Yat's guilty conscience makes him take the little boy under his wing and help him escape the dire life that the boy's life seems to be heading towards.
Malaysian-born Lau, who has settled and works in Hong Kong, chooses the story of people in an alien land for his debut feature and does a very good job of portraying the hardships refugees face in their host country. With no official documents to make them legal residents with equal right there, the narrative does a good job of depicting how these refugees struggle to find work, have two good meals or even provide basic necessities for their families and ultimately have to resort to crime, making goals like Hassan's father's of moving to Canada just a mere pipe-dream. One of the biggest reasons for citizens to look down on these individuals is their involvement in criminal activities, and despite having a central character with a straight moral compass, a lawyer no less, the way the script manages to showcase how these little things ultimately lead to them indulging in criminal activities is impressive.
In the second half of the feature, where Yat decides to find a way out for Hassan, Lau decides to play it out almost as a thriller, with Yat's son and his co-workers hot on their heels. And while this makes for a decent narrative choice in itself, the thriller elements sit in stark contrast with the first half, leaving the narrative feeling a bit disjointed in its treatment. It is of course helped by a terrific turn from the always excellent Anthony Wong, who once again puts in a shift, playing Yat to wonderful dislikability in the first half, only to be just as sympathetic in the second, giving a sufficient redemption arc to the character.
Despite that, one can't shake the feeling that this grumpy old man with a soft heart is an act that we've seen Wong in before, most notably in “Still Human” not too long ago, ultimately making it a performance that is very good to watch by all standards but also feels fairly familiar. Where he had Crisel Consulji to play off in “Still Human”, here he has young Sahal Zaman alongside him as Hassan, who gives an impressive performance for his age. Though Endy Chow as Yat's son doesn't get many scenes of his own, both Inderjeet Singh and Kiranjeet Gill are effective as Hassan's parents.
“The Sunny Side of the Street” is a well-intentioned film that casts a necessary light on an issue that otherwise gets neglected both in real life and on celluloid, but also ends up as being one that could have benefitted from a more focused narrative style. Regardless, Anthony Wong's Golden Horse winning performance, which was in addition to the Best New Director and Best Original Screenplay wins, makes this a decent watch.
