VIFF -- Review: A Girl Unknown

The film traces the lives of girls and women in China

A Girl Unknown (2026)

The film opens showing a shy six-year-old girl sitting on a rock as she watches other children play in the water. Lin Juan (Cao Ruofan) is a tomboy who doesn't like wearing dresses or following the expectations of how a girl should behave.

But her father doesn't seem to mind, and makes her a kite out of bamboo and paper. However, when he dies suddenly, her mother soon finds another partner and is pregnant in a rural village. 

Lin Juan is played by Cao Ruofan

She takes Juan to an auntie in the city, perhaps Guangzhou, for what the girl is initially told a few months. But the reality is that her mother is not coming back, and thus begins Juan living a new identity, and trying to adapt to her new surroundings.

The auntie is kind, sophisticated, but her husband dislikes to the girl. Ten years later Juan (now played by Li Gengxi) is a teenager in the mid-1980s who loves dancing, listening to Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing and hanging out with her friends. But does she really belong?

Throughout A Girl Unknown we see how girls and women are treated in Chinese society, and how Juan tries to navigate the system on her own terms. At one point she gets a job in a textile factory, and viewers get a glimpse of what life is like, and how workers try to survive being cogs in a big, never-ending wheel.

Li Gengxi is the older Ruan in the film

Juan lives a difficult life, psychologically, trying to understand how her life came to be this way, and the audience is too. 

It is a reminder that women in China are theoretically supposed to be "holding up half the sky" according to Mao Zedong, but in reality they are expected to do that and more without much appreciation or respect.

A Girl Unknown is first-time director Zou Jing's subtle but devastating critique of women's lives in China, both rich and poor, and her two leading actresses playing Juan at six and 17 are excellent. Not only do they look very similar, but they each retain that tomboyishness and rebellious streak.

While the pace of the film may seem slow at times, a lot of things happen, and the motif of water recurs over and over again to great effect.

This is Zou's debut film

A Girl Unknown

Directed by Zou Jing

128 mins

Remembering Leslie Cheung 23 Years On

The fans and flowers are back. Photo: KJoules

The sad anniversary of Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing's death has come again. It's been 23 years since the singer and actor took his life at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Central on April 1, 2003. 

And the fans are back at the hotel with flowers and messages for their idol. In 2022 police in civilian clothes used the national security law to prevent people from gathering; as a result fans could only take a picture of their flowers in front of the hotel and then leave.

In Vancouver, I still have yet to visit the park bench in Stanley Park that is dedicated to Cheung; his fans gather here with flowers and tributes.

One of his co-stars, actress Joey Wong posted a video on her social media showing her sitting on the bench along with clips from A Chinese Ghost Story that she and Cheung starred in in 1987.  

In the movie, Cheung is scholar Ning Caichen, who takes shelter in a deserted temple in the forest and falls in love with a ghost called Nip Siu-sin, played by Wong.

Wong, who lives in Vancouver, wrote in her social media post: "Even though I haven't spoken about you [all this time], my heart is full of memories."

We're all reflective now, because we all miss Gor Gor...

Museum Celebrates Cantopop with Fundraiser

Museum CEO Melissa Lee addressed attendees

The Chinese Canadian Museum will celebrate its second anniversary on Tuesday, and the other day I attended Spark Community Dinner fundraising gala at Floata Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown. 

Seven hundred and fifty people were in attendance, and it was quite the struggle to meet and greet people as tables and chairs were close together. The numbered tables were randomly placed all over the room which made it hard for me to find where I was sitting!

Nevertheless, it was good to see a handful of familiar faces and meet new ones, and some politicians who came out in force, including Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, Hong Kong-born Prince George Mayor Simon Yu, federal, provincial and municipal politicians too.

My friend sitting next to me remarked how it was only in Chinese gatherings were politicians given a lot of time to speak on stage (while everyone else in the room chatted); I suggested perhaps because the hosts were reliant on them for donations and handouts?

A lot of speeches were made before the evening finally kicked off, and perhaps the highlight was Lawrence Mok, who won a karaoke competition, sang two songs that brought everyone back to 1980s Cantopop with Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing's Monica. Everyone remarked how laser discs, reminders of karaoke machines, were suspended from the ceiling. 

Wish Mok could have sang a few more songs to keep the lively atmosphere going, because the tone shifted to how there were 750 people in the room and we all had to chip in to keep the museum going.

First was a live auction that was not particularly exciting partly because the prizes didn't quite match the crowd, and the starting bids were stratospheric. Oh and every single person had their own personal paddle too. Luckily these were all sold. 

Then if that wasn't enough, the emcee Fred Lee suggested that it was time that people start matching donations. MLA George Chow wasn't able to make the dinner, but pledged CA$10,000 and challenged others to do the same. Eventually four others raised their hands and gave $10K each.

That wasn't all -- Lee began soliciting for $5,000 donations, then $2,500, $1,000, and $500. When he got to the last amount of $250, two people at my table shot their paddles up, and I followed suit. 

But there needs to be an incentive to get people to donate -- just promising a tax receipt isn't a good reason. How about offering two free admission tickets, T-shirts, a sneak preview to something or an exclusive event? 

In the end the museum managed to raise over $300,000, but is that enough to keep this cultural institution going? We don't want to see it shutter either...

Tokyo: Artist Ryuichi Sakamoto Revered

Many people lined up to see this exhibition

Today was the last day of the Ryuichi Sakamoto: Seeing Sound, Hearing Time exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and we managed to see it on the second last day. We had gotten tickets in advance so we were able to walk past the massive queue of people who were patiently waiting. They were mostly young people, and a few with young children and a handful of elderly.

My first introduction to the Japanese artist Sakamoto when he composed the soundtrack for The Last Emperor that came out in 1987. I was impressed by his work, and he indeed won an Academy Award for Best Original Score, the first Japanese composer to do so. 

Patterns made by vibrations

Other films he worked on include Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, The Sheltering Sky, Little Buddha, and The Revenant. Sakamoto didn't look down on anything -- he also composed music for video games and anime. 

The next time I learned more about him was in 2019 when the restaurant Araki opened in Heritage 1881 in Tsim Sha Tsui. Funded by Richard Li, the Japanese restaurant was helmed by chef Mitsushiro Araki, who made the entire dining experience a performance.

As guests filed into the restaurant, he was already there, deftly breaking down a giant chunk of tuna.

I later learned that the wooden countertop in the restaurant was gifted to Araki by Sakamoto.

In 2014 Sakamoto was diagnosed with throat cancer, and took a year long break, which led to cancer going into remission. However, in early 2021 he was diagnosed with rectal cancer, though he continued to work, even giving what was to be his final performance, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus in 2023 before he died that year on March 28.

So we attended the exhibition almost two years to the day of his death, which explains why so many people were at the museum. It seems the Japanese still revere him and want to continue paying their respects to him, much like how Hongkongers try to commemorate Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing's death on April 1.

Fog created by the water of immortality

The exhibition, Seeing Sound, Hearing Time, demonstrates Sakamoto's interest in combining music with technology, film and art and see where it goes. There were a few exhibits we were not allowed to film, but they seemed Daoist in nature.

Perhaps he was acutely aware of how much time he had left; one was a "film" where a poem was read out that suggested that life is like a dream. Another was a long horizontal video that showed lots of lines that eventually revealed a photograph, or a moving image of waves crashing onto rocks.

A small room had several photographs and videos group together that looked like an apartment -- was it Sakamoto's? But no one was there, though the kettle was on the stove, hot water boiling, the wind blowing leaves in another video, photographs of his music studio.

Meanwhile a large dark room had large square plexiglass suspended from the ceiling with water and smoke that was projected on the floor that showed different patterns of vibrations according to the music or sounds. 

Another room had a deconstructed piano that played random notes. But the final exhibit showed him performing at the piano when he was younger, and it is projected so that it looks like he is playing a real piano in front of us, the keys pressed down. It is as he wants us to remember him, younger, vibrant and expressive.

Sakamoto playing the piano

There was one exhibit that was interactive with visitors in the courtyard of the museum. At 20-minute intervals, people could interact with "fog", jets of water blown into the air to create "smoke", but really it's water.

The "fog" is the water of immortality, that is supposed to weave together with Sakamoto's music... the fog can be overwhelming, as at times you can't see anything, but you will be able to see people right in front of you. A few seconds later the fog subsides a bit, but the jets spray more water into the air again. For Hongkongers it could trigger the feeling of looking at tear gas, but it's not at all.

At the end, visitors can return inside and use paper towels to wipe themselves down if they so wish. How Japanese.

I'm glad I was able to see this exhibition, to learn more about Sakamoto and see how the Japanese still love him as an artist and want to be closer to him whenever possible.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Seeing Sound, Hearing Time

Contemporary Museum of Art Tokyo

4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto-ku

Tokyo

Review: Rouge

Mui plays Fleur a ghostly courtesan from the 1930s 

To start off 2024, we looked back and watched Rouge, a Hong Kong movie from 1988 starring Anita Mui Yim-fong and Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing at VIFF.

It is sad to note that 2023 was the 20th anniversary of both their untimely deaths, Cheung from suicide on April 1, 2003, and Mui on December 30 that year from cervical cancer.

I had never seen the film before and it was made before June 4, 1989, when Hong Kong was well on its way to becoming an industrious powerhouse, with textiles, film, and finance. 

Cheung's character falls for Fleur in Rouge

Rouge was adapted from Lilian Lee Pik-wah's novel of the same name, and the film directed by Stanley Kwan. The story is set in a brothel in 1934, when Chan Chen-pang, a wealthy merchant's son (Cheung) is mesmerised by Fleur, a courtesan (Mui) and they fall for each other.

However, his family vehemently objects to their relationship and so the couple decide to commit suicide to be together forever.

Fast forward to 1987 when Fleur approaches a newspaper guy named Yuen to put an advertisement in the paper for Chan to meet her on a specific day and place. But Yuen soon realises she's a ghost during a comical scene on the tram going to Shek Tong Tsui.

Fleur is so out of place and cannot adapt to the modernity of 1980s Hong Kong. Perhaps it's because she is a ghost and has only one goal in mind, to reunite with Chan.

After overcoming their fears of what Fleur is, Yuen and his girlfriend, a reporter, try to help her find her lover from over 50 years ago, and thank goodness for the antique shops along Hollywood Road because they hold some clues that help them figure out what happened to Fleur decades ago.

Watching Rouge I couldn't help but notice how beautiful both Cheung and Mui were at the time. Her character Fleur has been a courtesan since she was 16 and is well aware of her social standing and fate, whereas Chan only thinks of being with her and becoming a performer on stage.

A newspaper man named Yuen meets Fleur

They are a couple fuelled by romance and idealism, whereas Yuen and his girlfriend are more down-to-earth and honest with each other, perhaps shaped by the different times they live in, or societal values changed in half a century.

Lilian Lee's story is very clever, with lots of opportunities for funny scenes interacting with a ghost and Kwan adapts it with scenes jumping back and forth between 1934 and 1987. The scenes in the past seem to be saturated with colour, whereas contemporary Hong Kong seems a bit drab and dark for the most part! 

There's also a bit part for Patrick Tse Yin -- in his much younger and better-looking years, and interestingly stunts performed by Jackie Chan! 

In any event, Rouge is an enjoyable film that takes its time to reveal the story, making you wonder if you will ever encounter a ghost and if you did, what would you do?

Rouge

Directed by Stanley Kwan

Based in a novel of the same name by Lilian Lee

93 minutes

Remembering Gor Gor 20 Years On

Lots of flowers for Cheung outside Mandarin Oriental (J Pang)

It is a relief to see there are crowds of people outside the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong in Central as they place their bouquets of flowers and messages for "Gor Gor" -- Cantopop star Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing, who died 20 years ago today.

I say it's a relief because last year it was such a shock to see aggressive-looking police in civilian clothing verbally warning people not to gather near the hotel and they weren't even allowed to leave their flowers there to pay their respects to the singer who committed suicide there.

Paper cranes the theme this year (photo:J Pang)

Last year I worried that this would be the new normal, but this year it seems lots of people have turned out and the flower arrangements even more elaborate. There's even a white tree branch that is covered with red and white paper cranes strung over its branches. 

Another has a poster with a painting of Cheung with wings, and the artwork is attached to red roses in the shape of a heart, and white feathered wings on each side. Just as decadent are two giant red hearts made of red roses and in the middle of each one is the Chinese character 哥 or "gor", "older brother".

This morning CBC Radio Vancouver had a segment talking about Cheung, and Helen Leung Hok-sze, a Simon Fraser University professor in gender, sexuality and women's studies was asked who he could be compared to in terms of western artists. She suggested Lady Gaga which seems quite appropriate, for her experiments in fashion, musical styles, and acting.

Also interviewed was Pearl Wong, a friend of Cheung's. She talked about how genuine he was, not afraid to show his true emotions, and generous as a friend. Wong explained he was generous in that he was a thoughtful person. For example, noticing that she likes to wear scarves, he bought her a colourful scarf that she appreciated.

Cheung died at the age of 46 (photo: J Pang)

While everyone remembers Cheung and how he battled depression, how far has Hong Kong progressed when it comes to talking about and dealing with depression? It is still a taboo subject, and not everyone knows where or how to get help. There probably aren't enough psychologists and counsellors to help either.

Although the flower arrangements in front of the hotel are gorgeous and thoughtful, how about channeling those funds towards helping make resources available for people to talk about their mental health issues in the name of Cheung, like paying forward counselling sessions for those who need it but can't afford it?

That could help lots of people ease their pain a bit, and also help remember the Hong Kong icon who was a trailblazer in so many ways not just on April 1, but everyday.

Just a thought.

Coopting Leslie and Anita, 20 Years Later

What do fans think of this government tribute, 20 years later?

Hard to believe but 20 years ago on April 1, Hong Kong lost one of its brightest stars, Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing, a talented Cantopop singer and actor. Later that year in December, Anita Mui Yim-fong passed away from cancer. 

I was not in Hong Kong at the time -- a friend was so distraught he sent me copies of the Chinese newspapers covering Cheung's suicide at the Mandarin Oriental in Central in 2003. 

Fans used to remember Cheung every April 1

Since then every April 1, fans have bouquets of flowers sent to the outside of the hotel where a makeshift memorial is set up every year.

Fans come to take pictures of the flowers that have messages telling "Gor Gor" how much they miss him.

However last year with the national security law in place, the police made it very difficult for fans to even gather. Plainclothes police shooed people away, and they could only take a quick picture of themselves holding their flowers by the hotel and then leave.

This year it seems the government wants to take advantage of the two-decade anniversary with the first annual "Pop Culture Festival" with the slogan "Let's Pop"... 

Let's pop???!!!

What does "Let's Pop" mean?

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department has organised the extravaganza to celebrate the glory days of Cantopop in the 1980s and 1990s. There will also be a "Miss You Much Leslie Cheung Exhibition" at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum to remember the much-loved star, while a concert will be held at Queen Elizabeth Stadium.

Cheung and Mui will also be celebrated in a show called "When Leslie and Anita Meet Hei & Gin", featuring some of the two performers' greatest hits at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre.

It is rather macabre for the government to resurrect these two stars from the dead in the hopes of reviving Hong Kong's fortunes. Fans should be given the opportunity to remember them the way they want to commemorate their favourite performers. Were fan groups notified about these massive initiatives? 

Also -- why is Hong Kong looking to the past when it should be looking to the future? The authorities seem to be politicising these two performers, using their names and reputations to earn street cred.

When a "Pop Culture Festival" says, "Let's Pop", it's just popping pathetic...