Film Name: 全家福 / A Family Affair
Back when Sam Hui was at the height of his fame, I was just a kid and hadn’t seen many of his films. The few I did catch were only later on. Just last night, Channel 6 aired this one, “A Family Affair”—it was so heartwarming…
I’ve noticed Hong Kong directors have a knack for casting child actors. The two kids in this film are so adorable you can’t help but love them. Especially that little boy—he’s so cute I’d love to grab him and kick him around like a ball. Then there’s the kid in “All About Ah Long,” and Hao Shao Wen, who stayed with us for so long, and so on. Even today, there’s the kid in “After This Our Exile” and the one in “CJ7.”
Comrade Xiaoping once said: Where there are children, there is hope. Hmm.
Back in the 80s and 90s when Hong Kong cinema was at its peak, they tackled every genre imaginable. No wonder nearly everyone in Hong Kong back then had ties to the film industry—even the triads. Making movies was lucrative; even gangsters got into filmmaking. Think of the Hsiang brothers—most of the gunfights and drug-themed films we watched growing up were funded by these two. No wonder Andy Chow ended up being forced at gunpoint to star in trashy films. As Wilson Wan put it: Now that Hong Kong cinema’s in decline, even the triads have lost interest.
Family portraits, children at home—what a blessing.
Hong Kong cinema, the triads—what a blessing.
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