11. My American Grandson (1991)
I will start with the positive aspects, which begin with the usual, observational documentary-like style that is one of Ann Hui‘s trademarks. The lives of ordinary, if somewhat poor people in greater Shanghai in 1991, when China had not yet risen, is quite realistic. People barely had indoor plumbing, water heaters were non-existent, telephones were scarce, technology nowhere to be found, and the educational system was underdeveloped. However, elderly people had already started doing square dancing, bicycles were the main mode of transportation on the streets, and the intense immigration towards the West was already prevalent. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
12. Zodiac Killers (1991)
To start with, the plot doesn’t kick in for 50 minutes. Now Hong Kong cinema doesn’t usually flow in the tradition we are accustomed to in the West but even here it is just so slow to get going. Our problem from the outset is that the characters are just not likeable. Ming openly admits to a marriage of convenience to get into the Yakuza hierarchy. Ben is possibly the worst student you will meet and acts like a man-child throughout. As for Tit-lan, after leaving her sponsor who was mistreating her, she jumps into a relationship with a Yakuza and then after tragedy ensues, proceeds to involve Ben. In what was her final performance, Cherrie Chung is surprisingly annoying and again completely unlikable. (Ben Stykuc)
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13. The Prodigal’s Return (1992)
Ann Hui’s approach to the documentary is quite multifold actually. “The Prodigal’s Return” begins with footage showing his career and music, before interviews with him about the particular events, and activist leaders Zhou Tuo and Liu Xiaobo, who were with him during the June 4 events, shed more light on what happened. That the two essentially say that he was not inaccurate on what he mentioned, emerges as a rather intriguing point. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
14. Summer Snow (1995)
Ann Hui presents a number of social comments, most of which are represented by May’s character, a woman in her forties who is part of an in-between generation, living in an era that is about to forget the blights of the war and the traditions that dominated that generation, but is not ready to adapt to the huge technological developments that are coming their way (Panos Kotzathanasis)
15. The Stuntwoman (1996)
“The Stuntwomanˮ is at the same time portrait of a woman looking for her life path, and an insight into the Hong Kong action film industry. It captures that particular spirit of Hong Kong nostalgia with a dash of crude reality. Through the eyes of a China emigree and the crew newbie Ah Kam (Michelle Yeoh), “The Stuntwomanˮ lets us enter the family of action crew team lead by Tung (Sammo Hung). The camaraderie of the team members mixes with the long fingers of the “investors”, the dreams hit reality. The story by two writers, Kin Chung Chan and Man Keug Chan conveys the observant eye of Ann Hui who directs the film with a touch of documentary intimacy. (Krisitna Aschenbrennerova)
16. Eighteen Springs (1997)
The movie begins and actually unfolds like a period novel in the style of “Pride and Prejudice” for example, which essentially provides material for a melodramatic soap opera regarding who will win the hands of the sought-after brides and grooms. In Ann Hui’s hands, however, it turns to something completely different, additionally due to some of the key details in the story. Evidently, the aforementioned rape is the central one, in a rather cruel comment about the place of women in the then society, and also the blights of family as a concept, which in this story, is presented in the bleakest colors possible.
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17. As Time Goes By (1997)
The most obviously interesting part is when she confesses the origins of her film career while studying her master’s degree : “That was the beginning of the most boring part of my life. That year, every possible bad thing happened to me. Every night at 9 I’d run to the office to read books, returning home at sunrise. I started having trouble sleeping. I couldn’t sleep for 6 months. Then, I started getting sick, my thyroid gland. I couldn’t do anything at all. But I didn’t give up. A new teacher saved me. During one of our conversations, he told me to study film. The gap between culture and reality was irreconcilable then. In the end, I was very lucky to be able to work in film. What’s so ironic about it is I ended up being a realist director. Being a political director.” (Jean Claude)
18. Ordinary Heroes (1999)
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. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
19. Visible Secret (2001)
Overall, “Visible Secret” was a pretty enjoyable feature. One of the brighter aspects here is writer Abe Kwong’s strong setup that allows for numerous strong elements to come into play. Starting life as a romantic comedy between Peter and June by arranging for the quirky charm of their meeting in the club and subsequent date around the city fits that genre wholeheartedly. Realizing that Peter is a bit more restrained and introverted compared to June’s more outgoing and free-spirited nature, the desire to find her after the first meeting and integrate himself into her life feels natural and earned. The spell June Peter thus feels far more earned as the burgeoning relationship is challenged by all the ghostly visions and encounters that go on, as the skill to be able to see them interacting around us that she possesses feels quite intriguing the more they hang out together. As the romantic interludes continues he tries to learn more about the condition and how to stop them from continuing. This strong mixture of romantic comedy and haunting ghost movie features is used to build a fun relationship at the core of the film. (Don Anelli)
20. July Rhapsody (2002)
Although the premise of the movie is a bit soapy, Ann Hui’s direction and Ivy Ho’s writing actually elevate the material to a much higher level. One of the ways this is accomplished is the inclusion of poetry in the narrative, frequently appearing throughout the movie, as much as the Yangtze river as symbolism. Hui’s love of Hong Kongese poetry is well documented, and was actually presented recently in her documentary “Elegies”, and in “July Rhapsody” actually finds one of its zeniths. (Panos Kotzathanasis).
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