"Christmas at the Royal Hotel" (2018) Review
29 Aug 2018 | Ashley
The darkest time of human existence is probably when we decided to kill and torture one another for glory, wealth and power, which in a sense are values humanly constructed to be "important", more so than benevolence, love and acceptance. When it comes to the Second World War, many territories fell under foreign totalitarian control, Hong Kong was no exception. I feel, as a young local Hong Konger, that this is a piece of history that we do not talk about often enough. However, this one feature film where I participated in, called "Christmas at the Royal Hotel" (2018), switched it up, and told a heart-wrenching story based on the fall of Hong Kong on 1941 Christmas Day to Japanese occupation.
Although the film does not have Chinese subtitles and is almost entirely in English, I am delighted to see in the audience local people who do not understand English. Even if they knew that the film was forbidden by the government to have Chinese subtitles, they were supportive enough to show up at our screening to share this moment with us. Even though they could not understand each and every word of spoken dialogues which may contribute to the details of the story. it is not something to worry about. Film language is always much more than words. They told me that they could understand most of the story, especially the emotional aspect of it. Emotions is a universal language after all. Plus, the greatest thing a film can do is to draw the audience in and make them feel, and this is a good example of it.
The darkest time of human existence is probably when we decided to kill and torture one another for glory, wealth and power, which in a sense are values humanly constructed to be "important", more so than benevolence, love and acceptance. When it comes to the Second World War, many territories fell under foreign totalitarian control, Hong Kong was no exception. I feel, as a young local Hong Konger, that this is a piece of history that we do not talk about often enough. However, this one feature film where I participated in, called "Christmas at the Royal Hotel" (2018), switched it up, and told a heart-wrenching story based on the fall of Hong Kong on 1941 Christmas Day to Japanese occupation.
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| Image: film still from Christmas at the Royal Hotel (2018) |
With the film's limited budget, American director Craig McCourry has achieved something surprisingly promising. While the audience should not expect any large-scale battle scenes or impressive special effects, McCourry has rather chosen a probably more manageable path, by focusing on war's emotional suffering and effects on the people, especially women, which I find is a rare focus for such topics, and therefore refreshing. As an actress in the film playing the hotel maid who has lost her family and her potential love interest due to war, I had embarked on a very emotional journey each day on set. It was an emotionally, and somehow physically, demanding role to play, as Lily contributes greatly to clenching people's hearts as they watch her lose loved ones one after another on screen.
You would be impressed by the collection of vintage objects which filled each shot with wonder. The set, in particular, is an impressive one, again considering how tight the budget is. If you have attended the Q&A session after our screening at the Hong Kong Film Archive on 27 August, 2018, you would know that except for exterior scenes, everything was shot in the director's living room. From my observation as someone who has worked with him on several projects, he had evidently poured his heart and soul onto this one. He would build and take down the set over and over, while taking care of camera work and what not. Therefore, I have to say that I appreciate the work McCourry has invested into this film, which is a good kick-start for his career as an independent filmmaker.
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| Image: film still from Christmas at the Royal Hotel (2018) |
Although the film does not have Chinese subtitles and is almost entirely in English, I am delighted to see in the audience local people who do not understand English. Even if they knew that the film was forbidden by the government to have Chinese subtitles, they were supportive enough to show up at our screening to share this moment with us. Even though they could not understand each and every word of spoken dialogues which may contribute to the details of the story. it is not something to worry about. Film language is always much more than words. They told me that they could understand most of the story, especially the emotional aspect of it. Emotions is a universal language after all. Plus, the greatest thing a film can do is to draw the audience in and make them feel, and this is a good example of it.
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| Image: film still from Christmas at the Royal Hotel (2018) |
So if you would like to get to know Hong Kong's history a little more, or simply would like to support an independent film production and keep Hong Kong's creative vibe going, do not hesitate to drop by at the Hong Kong Film Archive 12 & 26 September, 2018, 7 pm for a screening and a Q&A session with the director and me!
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