Upclose with Christine To
Up-and-coming screenwriter Christine To has established a formidable reputation in the male-dominated film industry with works such as “Jiang Hu” and “Secret.” She talks to June Ng about her latest suspense thriller “Murderer,” and the dark side of humanity.
HK Magazine: What inspired you to write the story of “Murderer”?
Christine To: The idea came following a conversation with Roy Chow, who directed the movie. It’s easy to kill someone on-screen, but does anyone think about the reality of murder? There were 48 homicide cases last year, and most of the killers probably never thought that they would kill someone. So what turns people into murderers?
HK: Your screenwriting debut “Jiang Hu” came out in 2004 when you were still a student studying creative media. You’ve accomplished a lot in just five years. How do you feel?
CT: I’m very lucky. I never had a concrete plan about what I should do but then it just sort of happened—I was introduced to producer Eric Tsang when I was attending a workshop held by director Tam Ka-ming, and then everything just took off. It seemed like fate, in a way.
HK: Have you always wanted to work in the movie industry?
CT: I think that if I hadn’t become a scriptwriter, I probably would have become a novelist or some sort of writer. I love to observe the people around me, and try to guess what’s going on in their minds, and I love to hear old people tell the epic stories of their lives. I’m always thinking up new stories in my head.
HK: Compared to a lot of people your age, your life has taken a very different path, and you’ve achieved a lot in a short time. What are your thoughts on that?
CT: I’d say it’s heartbreaking, actually. A lot of young people around me could and should join the creative industries earlier. But because of the values of this generation, many people in their late 20s still consider themselves kids. Perhaps it’s because the people from the last generation are just too good at what they do, so young people can’t see how there’s any space for them. It’s very unhealthy.
HK: What do you enjoy most about writing a script?
CT: I like how I can be a rebel and change the stereotypes in movies. In “Murderer,” Aaron Kwok plays a cop, but he’s not a typical good guy. He has many conflicting emotions and motivations going on inside him. It’s great when you can discover a new angle on an old story.
Check out our review of Murderer