Top five films to watch in Hong Kong this week (September 14-20), from Baby Driver to Manifesto
Kam Ka-wai draws comparisons with Johnnie To for concluding story in Wong Jing trilogy, Edgar Wright finally makes it to Hong Kong with fifth feature Baby Driver, and Taiwanese documentary sheds light on donating bodies for science
1. Baby Driver
Amazingly for someone of Edgar Wright’s calibre, it has taken the English filmmaker (Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead) five features to finally get a cinematic release in Hong Kong. But no matter: Baby Driver is a blast of an all-star action musical – and quite possibly Wright’s best outing to date. (Opens on September 14)
2. Manifesto
Originally made and exhibited as a video-art installation, this experimental and uncompromisingly intellectual feature by German artist Julian Rosefeldt brings to life the manifestos from a wide range of modern art movements, delivered by Cate Blanchett in a series of gorgeously presented monologues. (Opens on September 14)
Twelve years after he earned rare acclaim with the Infernal Affairs-inspired thrillers Colour of the Truth and Colour of the Loyalty, Wong Jing returns as a writer-producer to bring satisfying closure to the series. Director Kam Ka-wai, with just his second feature, is drawing comparisons to Johnnie To. (Opens on September 14)
The dilemma of donating a close relative’s body to a medical school for anatomy classes is contemplated in quietly intriguing fashion in this Taiwanese documentary. The 74-minute feature says more about family relations and mortality than some films twice as long manage. (Opens on September 14)
The generational divide in modern Japan lends itself to a scathing parody by writer-director Shinobu Yaguchi, who has enjoyed much success with such crowd-pleasing hits as Waterboys and Swing Girls. The film’s pseudo sci-fi apocalyptic premise also amusingly highlights our technological dependency. (Opens on September 14)
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook
