Throughout his career, Hong Kong director Lawrence Ah Mon has told numerous stories about the disenfranchised in HK society. Considering most of his colleagues focused on genres such as thriller and action, his features stand out as they give the viewer an idea of the way issues such as the shift between generations, youth culture and the feelings of teenage angst and isolation are experienced in HK culture. Perhaps one of the most noteworthy examples of his filmography is “Spacked Out” from 2000, a feature which was honored with as “Film of Merit” by the Hong Kong Film Critics in 2001 and has recently been restored so that audiences worldwide have the chance to experience this story one more time or maybe even for the first time.
Spacked Out is screening for a one-week New York exclusive theatrical run at Metrograph theater and a two-week exclusive streaming release on Metrograph At Home, starting December 29, courtesy of Kani Releasing.
While the story of “Spacked Out” deals with a group of young people, 13-year-old Cookie (Debbie Tam) is at the center of the events. Disinterested in school and feeling neglected by her parents, she enjoys the company of her school mates, such as Sissy (Christy Cheung), Banana (Angela Au) and Tofu (Maggie Poon). Their days mostly consist of hanging around shopping malls or the more shady parts of Tuen Mun.
With her best friend being at boarding school and her boyfriend not answering her calls, Cookie also feels lonely, especially when she finds out she may be pregnant. After some debate, her friends advise her to have an abortion.
As several reviewers have pointed out, “Spacked Out” is a socio-realist drama in the same vein as perhaps Larry Clark's “Kids” or Toshiaki Toyoda's “Blue Spring”. While the world the girls have made for themselves is bright and colorful, filled with plush toys, karaoke and the occasional round of “Dance Dance Revolution”, the reality surrounding them is quite bleak, as poverty and unemployment emphasize what kind of future prospects these teenagers see for themselves. Alcohol and drugs (with the title being a reference to the high as a result of consuming crystal meth) become means to escape this reality, but at the same time carry self-destructive tendencies. There is a sadness lingering in every shot of “Spacked Out”, a certainty that this bubble will burst eventually, whether it is with the real world finally getting in or as they have to pay the price for their excesses.
Fittingly to the more naturalist-realist approach Lawrence Ah Mon has chosen, the performances follow in a similar fashion. As said before, the story does not really have a protagonist, making it an ensemble effort, with Cheung, Tam, Au and Poon all having some quite memorable scenes. Each actress highlights the idealism of these teenagers, their resistance to fully give in to the bleakness and hopelessness of their surroundings, with each of their little stunts resembling an act of teenage resistance. At the same time. their loneliness becomes apparent, with Debbie Tam perhaps taking center stage here, as she stresses the emotional turmoil of a young girl without any guidance when she would need some.
“Spacked Out” is a teenage drama about loneliness, rebellion and finally facing the grim reality of the world around you. Lawrence Ah Mon directs a fine feature with a great ensemble which always finds the right balance between the brightness of youth and the bleakness of the world they live in.
