Heung Gong zai

When I think about films from Hong Kong, usually I think of martial arts films like the old Shaw Brothers films or a Jackie Chan action picture. Now I am not saying that is all they make there, but traditionally this is the sort of film that you'd see imported here into the States. However, Ho-Cheung Pang's recent film, Aberdeen, is absolutely nothing like what I expected and it's a film that surprised me by its style.

Aberdeen consists of several different stories that concern extended family members—though it takes you a while to realize that the folks you keep seeing are related. Additionally, exactly WHAT the film is about is very difficult to say—even after the movie is complete! This vagueness will no doubt bother some viewers and various interpretations of what it all means are very possible.

The film concerns two sets of adult children of a grandfather. One story is about a woman who is obsessed with the notion that her mother, who has been dead for a decade, didn't really love her—though there really is no way to know for sure. In fact, she's so caught up with this that she doesn't realize that her husband is being unfaithful to her. Another story is about an aging model who wants to make it in films. However, her husband has an obsession—that their young daughter is not his. He behaves as if he loves her, but is obsessed that she is ugly, unlike him and his wife. I thought the child was adorable…but, I was not this weird man. As for the little girl, she has a bit of an obsession…about her dead lizard and its need to go to Heaven.

So is all this worth seeing? Well, the acting is very nice and the direction quite good though quite slow paced. However, as for the story, it left me pretty cold. I am not sure how much meaning or significance there is to all this or if I even cared much about this. Mostly, I think, it's because I didn't care all that much about many of the characters. Had I felt a connection, surely I would have enjoyed it much more.

While I do read as little as possible before going into a movie, always be aware of what you just saw. In other words, don't blame the movie for not being what you expected it to be. Heard that a lot lately, like the trailer promised me this, the poster looked like this. It's not the movies fault, but the marketing people of the movie (another reason not to get too much information beforehand).

This is a movie from Hong Kong, but is not action nor silly comedy. And even if some actors have done both, in this case they do slow paced drama. And they're doing a pretty solid job. While this is not the best drama I saw in 2014, this still is pretty good. It paints a picture (or more) of people trying to cope and understand things. To live in a weird world sort of ... And putting their thoughts and some interesting ones at that, out there ...

"Aberdeen" ("Heung Gong Jai") is not your average Hong Kong movie. Why? Well, because it is neither martial arts, action nor silly romantic comedy. This movie is a drama of sorts that tells a story of various aspects of branches of the same family.

The storyline is slow paced and very little actually does happen throughout the entire movie, and I was hoping that the movie would pick up pace and get up into gear, but it just never happened.

While the storyline is weak, it should be said that the acting performances are quite good, especially by Eric Tsang and Louis Koo, whom both really carried the movie quite nicely.

I haven't seen Miriam Yeung in a movie for a long, long time, so it was a nice surprise to see her on the screen again.

"Aberdeen" is not really a movie that stands out in the Hong Kong cinema, and it is a rather mundane experience to say the least. It seemed that director Ho-Cheung Pang had set out to accomplish too many things at the same time with this storyline, and not really managing to chew the piece that was bitten off.

A lot reviews here shows an indication of rather a bias judgmental point of view towards on how the world or most audiences would have certain expectations out on the Hong Kong Movie productions and The Heung Gong Jai movie doesn't seem to suit the taste to a lot of the critics here on IMDb (well at least for a few of them so far).

Heung Gong Jai consist of an indirect way of expression by the director in connections among everyone's lives with lack of communications between the people you care for in life. The acting and the way the movie was directed was just brilliantly done. The Casting and the way the plot being projected was just absolutely mind provoking and in differ to traditional script acting or directing.

The main storyline do tide up in connection with some of the minimal relations between the HK lives and Hong Kong families issues that existed in the past, as well as the current affairs. Rather or not if you could understand the blend of the local HK culture in today's world and also in the mid 50's is a different story. The plot and director's keen approach on reflecting on today's society of lack on communications among HK families and previous generations with parents are an existing concern which leads to an impact to the outcome of HK's current problems.

Nevertheless, this was a great movie with a hint of local cultural dilemma and realistic satire reflection on today's issues in Hong Kong as well as family relations. The directing and set plus the cast were just a fine piece of Art work that makes me reminisce it over and over again.

Cheers!

AFTER ALL IS A NICE N TOUCHING MOVIES THIS QUITE GOOD