Ann Hui’s dark realistic Night & Fog starts at the end of the story, with the brutal murder by a man of his wife and daughters. Hui gradually unmasks the idyll of the peaceful family and that of Hong Kong as the promised land for gold seekers.
Ann Hui’s darkly realistic Night and Fog starts at the end of the story: a man murders his wife and, based on statements by unreliable witnesses, the film goes on to investigate how things could have got this far and what kind of man was able to kill his family; questions that almost inevitably remain unanswered. Night and Fog, named after Nuit et brouillard (1955), Alain Resnais’ documentary about concentration camps, looks at the difficult problem of domestic violence. An elderly man from Hong Kong takes a wife from outside the city and goes on to neglect and abuse the woman. Ann Hui’s cool registering camera is juxtaposed with flashbacks within flashbacks and dream sequences, just as in her earlier film, Song of the Exile (1990).
PROGRAMMER NOTES
For a very realistic story of domestic violence based on a true story, the film has an unusual cast. Why cast two of the best-known Hong-Kong stars in the film that they shot on a low budget and on location in high-rise social housing? The stars could easily run away with the film. The older man who imports his young wife from 'outer' China and abuses her is played by no one less than Simon Yam or in full, Simon Yam Tat-Wah (according to a Hong Kong habit, with both the English and Chinese 'first names'). Yam is a very productive actor and occasionally you get the feeling that he plays in every major Hong-Kong film (which is impossible, even though he has more than 100 films to his name ). Thanks to his roles in well-known Johnnie To films (like Breaking News, the two Election parts and Exiles) he already has a reputation as the Robert de Niro of Hongkong. His opposite number didn't need 100 films to get such a reputation, but the Chinese Zhang Jingchu is irresistibly beautiful, young and can act very well, as is apparent here.
The way in which the film can remain a convincingly realistic drama without the great Yam or the stunning Zhang demanding all attention can only be explained from having some knowledge of the personality of the film maker Ann Hui. I have seen her work from close to recently. She chaired the jury at the last Taipei film festival, where I was also in the jury. She had a difficult and task, one I thought at first was impossible. The jury was improbably large with many members who all represented some kind of local interest. I was soon struck by the motherly charm with which she managed the discussions and quickly also the self assurance with which she managed to solve problems. After this experience, I understood how Hui was able to keep these major actors under control in such a small production. With a soft yet forceful hand. A real director.
GjZ