This Oscar-nominated documentary short is a good and brief overview, or rather street-level view, of the protests and clashes with police in Hong Kong since 2019, the extradition bill and the general end of autonomy in the former colony of the British Empire since handed over to become a colony of China's empire. Chapter-like title cards provide some exposition, but otherwise the picture relies on interviews and an observational approach of merely recording the violent confrontations. One may also see the crafty use by the pro-democracy movement of umbrellas and, even before COVID-19, masks. Indeed, one of the many eerie scenes here is especially so because of how much it seemingly anticipates flag fetishist and presidential cultists counter-protesting masks and democracy in, let's say, other parts of the world during the pandemic.
I've only seen three of the Oscar nominated documentary shorts thus far, but from what I've seen, I would've preferred "Do Not Split" had won. It's not only the more politically-challenging picture; it's also better made. My only slight reservations are its title, which I understand to refer to the protesters, but which also has the unfortunate connotation of seeming to refer to the unification of China, and its opening title cards referring to a tradition of non-violent protest seems out of place, to say the least, followed as it is by footage of a bank being lit on fire and the continued fire bombing in response to police brutality later. Still, it's an important subject, and the Academy nominating it at least reportedly brought enough attention to the plight of Hong Kong, along with whatever perturbation they have with the maker of "Nomadland" (2020), to throw the Chinese Communist Party into a boycott tizzy over the Oscars.
