words rachel mok

Two Hong Kong filmmakers unite for a murder/ suicide

Ann Hui, the conscience of the Hong King film industry and the newly-crowned HK Film Awards Best Director, and Wong Jing, the king of commercialism, would seem to be on opposite poles of the moviemaking world but a family tragedy on April 11, 2004, brought them together. Hui’s latest film, Night and Fog, is financially backed by Wong Jing’s Mega-Vision Pictures (as was her $1.2 million feature, The Way We Are, last year) and is a re-enactment of a middle-aged man’s killing of his Sichuan wife, their six-year-old twin girls and himself. It is still scars the hearts of many Hong Kongers, especially those living in Tin Shui Wai where the event occurred. Wong and Hui reflect on the tragedy and whether their film is disrespectful to the deceased.

How did your collaboration come about?
Wong: Before we made The Way We Are we were talking about a seven-episode TV drama. I suggested Ann make a series about women and it became The Way We Are. She is committed to quality and would put everything, including her salary, into a project (laughs). Then I said why don’t we give up the next six episodes and use the budget to make Night and Fog. Ann agreed and now we have one big and one small film.
Hui: Let me confess first – some 10 years ago, I did criticize Wong Jing in an interview. But he is very generous – he forgave me and has approached me from time to time about a collaboration. I really appreciate it – I was a bit embarrassed in fact. We got along well – although we didn’t get much time together. Meetings are only like 15 minutes and he gives very clear instructions, so there are not many problems at all.
Wong: I don’t care about others’ criticisms unless it is someone I really respect. And as I said a long time ago, Ann is one of the directors that I respect the most and I would carefully consider her comments.

When the news broke in 2004, what was your immediate reaction?
Wong: It was a big tragedy. This kind of thing may happen every day but that made us feel it could happen to people near us. We are human after all – while you cannot take care of other people’s family affairs, should we just leave them like islands or can we create a better system to help them?
Hui: I was shocked and wanted to find out what happened. So we [scriptwriter Cheung King-wai] took a DV camera, went to Tin Shui Wai and interviewed lots of people. We didn’t think about making a feature, we were thinking we would probably make a documentary. Three months after all the interviews, I began to want to make it into a film. In the beginning I leaned more towards the newspaper opinion that the social worker didn’t do enough, the police didn’t follow up on the day of the incident etc. But after the research, I thought it was not that simple – no one scapegoat could be held responsible. Many factors led to what happened.

No one knows the truth. Do you worry that audiences may take the film as gospel and base their judgment on it?
Hui: I am pleased with audiences’ reactions so far. They know it is a film – they know our view is to be calm and objective and try to let people understand how the victims felt, not make it a scary melodrama.

Was there a time you felt too disheartened by what had happened and could not carry on making the film?
Hui: I was so scared that I went for a divination [before production started]. I wondered why there were so many obstacles to the making of this film – finding investors etc. I wondered if the victims didn’t want us to make it. If it depended on concerns like the investors thinking the film wasn’t worth making or the police not liking us making it, we could overcome that. But if it was not human beings… (both laugh) then let’s leave them rest in peace. I didn’t feel good about making this film at first because it was such a tragedy. It looked like we were making a profit and exploiting the people involved. I cannot totally deny that – after all, we will make money with the film – not big money, but I will still receive payment. But Sharon Chung Hiu Ieong [renowned Chinese writer] said if she was the victims she would want me to let people know the truth of how they died. Then I consulted a friend who knows divination – I wouldn’t make the film if [the people involved] don’t want us to. But my friend said they did want us to do it, and we did some rituals in Tin Shui Wai before the shooting started.
Wong: I think it is not exploitation. If they really faced any injustice they would want more people to know. If you want to see [Night and Fog] as exploitation then every film based on history or true events is also exploitation. As long as your angle is fair to the people involved, I think it is OK.

You make some very direct comments on things like the CSSA (Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme). Are these your personal viewpoints?
Hui: I don’t actually want to tell others my viewpoint directly. Some of my views are very politically incorrect. I believe there is progress in the social welfare system, but it requires social workers to be very professional. If they are too emotionally attached, they may not be able to help. But then you may become too detached – pros and cons, you see? I always see thing complexly – nothing is entirely good or bad and my attitude is ambiguous. But I don’t think [presenting a viewpoint] is the responsibility of the film. That is the job of social commentators, film critics etc. Filmmakers only give people some feeling [for a subject]. I don’t think we need to jump to conclusions.

Night and Fog deals with very serious social issues. What should the film bring to society?
Wong: I think the film only needs to stir up discussion – I mean it is only two hours so what kind of conclusion can you expect? It is impossible. You raise the issue so people can become more concerned about it.
Hui: When I seriously want to say something, I become speechless – what should I say to be the truth? Whatever you say is not completely true, so, if the film can stir up discussion, it is already good enough.

The film downplays the characters, doesn’t it?
Hui: We make the film less horrifying than people might expect. One doesn’t need to exaggerate [the violence]. I have my own viewpoint that he was a bad guy. But however bad I think he was, I have to give him some humanity – so that audiences can take it. In fact, however bad a person is, he is still a human being and I should leave him with dignity. If you treat him like a complete maniac or animal then I’d rather not make
the film. I balance everything. Maybe I am too serious.
Wong: I think he did it for his dignity – the action protected his dignity, otherwise there was no motive. Of course there was some insanity involved, but he wanted to reclaim his dignity.
Hui: Night and Fog is very mixed. It’s not a thriller, a realistic film or whatever – it is a bit of everything, which was the most interesting part of making it. I cannot describe what this film is in detail because we didn’t follow any precedent. That is what makes it special.

The Way We Are is very easygoing while Night and Fog is the extreme opposite. Which more represents your view?
Hui: Both…
Wong: I think both – you have to put the two together to be complete. One is the dark side and one is the bright, they complement each other. When we look back in the future, these two films may be like [Kieślowski’s] Three Colours Trilogy: Blue, White, Red. (Hui laughs.)

Night and Fog opens on May 14