Hollywood movie Civil War sparks ‘superiority’ debate among China nationalists over Hong Kong versus Chinese identity
- Poignant scene sees Taiwan actor playing Hong Kong journalist shot dead by US soldier for being mainland Chinese
- Not-released-in-China movie does well at box office in US and globally
The Hollywood film Civil War has sparked a political discussion in China over a scene in which an actor from Taiwan plays a Hong Kong journalist who is identified as mainland Chinese by an American soldier and shot dead as a result.
Many people who take a nationalist position view the scene as a satirical take on Hongkongers and other groups of Chinese people who consider themselves superior and worship the West.
Directed by Alex Garland, the film is set against the backdrop of a fictional American civil war where a group of journalists, led by Lee Smith, played by Kirsten Dunst, tries to cross the front lines to interview the president before his expected surrender.
The film premiered in the United States on April 12 and despite having a budget of just US$50 million has grossed US$45.7 million in North America alone, with global ticket sales reaching US$67.3 million by April 22.
While it has been well received in the US and globally, scoring 81 per cent on the Rotten Tomatoes website, it has left many Asian audiences, especially Hongkongers, feeling uneasy, particularly due to one poignant scene.
The Rotten Tomatoes website keeps track of all the reviews counted for each film produced and calculates the percentage of positive reviews. If the positive reviews make up 60 per cent or more, the film is considered “fresh”. If the positive reviews are less than that percentage, the film is considered “rotten”.