Top five films to watch in Hong Kong this week (March 30-April 5), from Mad World to Ghost in the Shell
A restored print of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s masterful Dekalog on the big screen, the award-winning debut feature of Hong Kong’s Wong Chun, and a poignant wartime drama among our must-sees
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 30 March, 2017, 8:17am
UPDATED : Thursday, 20 April, 2017, 12:36pm
Click on film titles to read SCMP.com reviews
1 Dekalog
Any self-respecting film buff should check out this restored print of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s canonical mini-series. If you’re new to his 1988 masterpiece, expect plenty of existential dilemmas among the deeply flawed, if only human, residents of a housing complex in late-communist era Poland. (Re-release from April 1)
No anime fan would expect a Hollywood production to replicate the delirious mix of graphic violence and philosophical riddles in Mamoru Oshii’s cult 1995 film. This live-action remake, starring Scarlett Johansson, has at least done the cyberpunk culture proud with its enthralling visuals. (Opens on March 30)
3 Mad World
Hong Kong cinema has found a new director-screenwriter combo to rave about in Wong Chun and Florence Chan, already winners of multiple awards for their feature debut. Shawn Yue stars as a bipolar patient in this austere family drama, spiced with a heavy dose of social criticism. (Opens on March 30)
The resilience of women is poignantly conveyed in Japanese animator Sunao Katabuchi’s latest film. Set near Hiroshima during the second world war, this wistful coming-of-age story is both a reminder of the horrors of war and a celebration of the human spirit that help people through it all. (Opens on March 30)
Director Sion Sono – once best known for such perverted hits as Suicide Club and Love Exposure – has come up with one of his most thought-provoking movies to date. The psychodrama, starring former AKB48 member Ami Tomite, offers a surprisingly complex look at women’s place in art and cinema. (Now showing)
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