Cover A film still of ‘All Shall Be Well’ which delves into LGBTQ+ issues (Image: courtesy of Alex Kong)
A film still of ‘All Shall Be Well’ which delves into LGBTQ+ issues (Image: courtesy of Alex Kong)
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This Pride month, Tatler rounds up 7 Hong Kong movies, from Wong Kar-wai’s ‘Happy Together’ to Ray Yeung’s ‘Suk Suk’, that tackle LGBTQ+ issues, gender fluidity and same-sex love
The road to representing the LGBTQ+ community in Hong Kong’s mainstream cinema hasn’t been smooth, given how the subject has long been taboo in traditional Chinese culture, and therefore an unpopular choice for commercial movie investors.
Thanks to pioneering directors such as Ann Hui, Wong Kar-wai, Ray Yeung, and Jun Li, there has been a gradual increase in film and television productions highlighting the perspectives, issues and experiences of the LGBTQ+ community. These directors have gone against the tide to tell stories about this community, and their work has helped to bring greater visibility to their stories. Some of these movies even made it to the Oscars and Berlin Film Festival.
In case you missed it: 9 Hong Kong movies that spotlight the city’s social issues
1. ‘Happy Together’ (1997)
Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-wai’s romantic drama film depicts the bittersweet, tumultuous relationship between two gay young men, played by famed actors Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, as they travel from Hong Kong to Argentina in search of a better life. The movie features certain scenes considered bold at that time, such as the opening love-making scene between the lead actors.
The film was widely regarded as one of the best LGBTQ+ films in the new queer wave, a movement that describes queer-themed independent filmmaking in the early 1990s. Wong Kar-wai also won Best Director at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival for this movie.
Don’t miss: A new Hong Kong stage musical dedicated to Leslie Cheung is set to premiere this August
2. ‘Farewell My Concubine’ (1992)
Yes, Farewell My Concubine isn’t strictly a Hong Kong movie, but it stars Hong Kong actor Leslie Cheung and is adapted from a novel by Hong Kong writer Lilian Lee. Set in 20th-century China, the film portrays the oblique relationship between Cheng Dieyi (played by Cheung), a Peking opera actor who plays a concubine, and Duan Xiaolou (played by Zhang Fengyi), Cheng’s acting partner who plays an emperor. Cheung’s dedication to the traditional opera arts is translated into his loyalty to this partnership which has a homosexual undertone. The film, often considered Chinese avant-garde film director Chen Kaige’s most representative work, is hailed for its elaborate visuals and storytelling. Cheung’s heartfelt performance also garnered praise from critics and fans alike.
3. ‘A Woman Is a Woman’ (2018)
Hong Kong director Maisy Goosy Suen’s A Woman Is a Woman shows the struggles of two transgender women in Hong Kong: Sung Chi Yu, a happily married transgender woman whose husband suddenly discovers her past; and Chiu Ling Fung, a student whose conservative family can’t accept her sexual orientation.
4. ‘Tracey’ (2018)
Jun Li’s transgender film follows the story of Tung Tai-hung, a 51-year-old family man who undergoes surgery to transition into a woman named Tracey. The film depicts Tracey’s struggles and aspirations to live the life she desires in a city marked by discrimination against transgender individuals.
5. ‘Suk Suk’ (2019)
Hong Kong independent film director Ray Yeung’s drama film Suk Suk, also known as Twilight’s Kiss, tells the story of two homosexual men in their later years. Pak, played by Taiwanese actor Tai Bo, is a 70-year-old taxi driver who meets Hoi, a 65-year-old single father played by Hong Kong theatre actor Ben Yuen, in a park. Despite objections from their families, they secretly consider starting a life together.
The film received awards at several LGBTQ+ film festivals, including Best Asian Feature at the Seoul International Pride Film Festival, Best Long Feature Film at the Florence Queer Festival, and Best Actor awards for both lead actors at the Madrid LGBTQ International Film Festival.
Don’t miss: Why Hong Kong director Ray Yeung wrote another LGBTQ+ film ‘All Shall Be Well’ after ‘Suk Suk’
6. ‘All Shall Be Well’ (2024)
Five years later, Ray Yeung released another same-sex romance film called All Shall Be Well. The movie revolves around Angie (played by Patra Au Ga Man) and her struggles after her partner Pat (played by Maggie Lin-Lin Li) dies suddenly, leaving her to face rejection from Pat’s family. The film highlights the lack of legal protections for same-sex couples in Hong Kong and the social prejudice they encounter in the city. All Shall Be Well received the Teddy Award for Best LGBTQ-themed Feature Film at the historic Berlin-based LBGTQ+ film festival.
7. ‘All About Love’ (2010)
Directed and produced by Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Ann Hui, this comedy is based on a true story. It presents two bisexual women who were lovers once. They reunite at a counselling session for expectant mothers. They recall the events that led to their pregnancy and discuss love, relationships and motherhood as single women in the modern age. Sandra Ng, who plays one of the women, won the Best Actress award at the Asian Film Festival of Reggio Emilia, Italy.
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Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
