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Edmund Lee

Click on film titles to read SCMP.com reviews


1. Blade Runner 2049
Apart from being a superior sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi masterpiece, director Denis Villeneuve’s visually stunning and surprisingly poignant film also completes a hat trick for Harrison Ford in gracefully reviving his iconic characters from the 1980s: Han Solo, Indiana Jones and Rick Deckard. (Now showing)



2. Suburra
Having recently turned the 2008 mafia epic Gomorrah into a worthy TV series, Italian director Stefano Sollima all but confirms his mastery of the genre with this utterly engrossing ensemble crime thriller set in Rome. Next up for him: a follow-up to the gripping drug cartel thriller Sicario (2015). (Opens on October 12)



3. Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High
A political fable set in an elite high school, this buoyant manga adaptation hilariously satirises the passion and tactics as politicians try to gain the upper hand over their rivals. Masaki Suda is inspired in the title role, as an ultra-ambitious student who hopes to become Japan’s prime minister one day. (Opens on October 12)



4. The Helper
Hong Kong-based documentary filmmaker Joanna Bowers delves into the stories of several foreign domestic helpers working in the city with this earnest portrait. The exploits of The Unsung Heroes, a volunteer choir comprised of domestic workers, are a particular bright spot in their often challenging lives. (Now showing)


5. Goodbye Berlin
Best known for such harsh but powerful dramas as Head-On and The Edge of Heaven, Turkish-German director Fatih Akin proves just as adept in telling coming-of-age stories with this gently humorous road movie, adapted from Wolfgang Herrndorf’s novel Tschick. (October 13, part of the KINO/17 programme)
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Top five films to watch in Hong Kong this week (October 12-18), from Suburra to Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High

Ryan Gosling as Officer K in a scene from Denis Villeneuve’s stunning Blade Runner: 2049.

Film review: What Happened to Monday – one-child policy gets sci-fi action treatment, but don’t expect anything too deep

Noomi Rapace gives a spirited set of performances playing seven almost-identical sisters in a world where siblings are not allowed, but the film feels incomplete in ignoring the social implications of population growth

Willem Dafoe plays the father in What Happened to Monday.

Noomi Rapace in What Happened to Monday.

Noomi Rapace plays seven almost-identical sisters in What Happened to Monday (category IIB), directed by Tommy Wirkola and also starring Glenn Close and Willem Dafoe.

Blade Runner 2049: How Ana de Armas, Mackenzie Davis and Sylvia Hoeks’ characters shaped the film’s driving theme of love

The sequel advances the original story’s theme, this time through the characters of Joi, Mariette and Luv who all examine love in varying ways

Mackenzie Davis (front) in Blade Runner 2049.

Sylvia Hoeks in Blade Runner 2049.

epa06217441 Cuban actress and cast members Ana de Armas (L) and Dutch actress Sylvia Hoeks (R) pose for photographs during a photocall for the film 'Blade Runner 2049' in London, Britain, 21 September 2017. The film is due for release in the UK on 06 October. EPA-EFE/WILL OLIVER

Ana de Armas and Ryan Gosling play alongside each other in Blade Runner 2049.

Culture

Film & TV

Harrison Ford in Blade Runner sequel, the mafia in Rome, Japanese school politics, a documentary on Hong Kong’s domestic helpers, and a German coming-of-age tale make up this week’s top picks
