Sinking City: Capsule Odyssey (2017) - Hong Kong
Reviewed by Andrew Chan
Hong Kong is a city in dire circumstances, with the future of youth and generation next almost to the point of zero and bleak darkness. It is almost sad to witness a vibrant city as Hong Kong fallen into such demise and Sinking City captures this mood perfectly and makes a funny parody out of it. Living in space capsules within the confines of dirty and old walk up buildings most likely next to prostitutes as your neighbours. The film follows the journey of four mens grouped together living in these dire conditions and each having their own story to tell.
What I liked about this film is the smart dialogue and quirky feeling about it all. The chemistry between the temporary housemate is what ultimately drives the film. Andrew Lam underrated performance here steals the show as a mentally unstable character who is both existential and fascinating. Pakho Chau plays the typical Hong Kong struggler who is forced to lie to his girlfriend that he is moving to New York, when he is essentially living in tatters of a capsule. Babyjohn impresses once again as the Young and Dangerous parody showing how society have changed when gangsters are restricted to smuggling iPhones across the border. We also get Bob Lam and Louis Cheung is fun and wacky supporting roles.
All in all, Sinking City works largely due to its realistic yet off hand portrayal of what is relevant to most Hong Kongers are facing right now. Housing is the biggest problem as well as the gap between rich and poor widen every single moment. We are living in a city that is essentially dying as dreams are no longer there and people only live to survive or even barely. Back in the 1970s, it is believed that if you work hard, the lower class can go up to middle and the middle to high. Now it's just higher and higher, whereas the lower class will remain there. It's a bleak look at Hong Kong and its suitably sad, but it is also the reality most are facing right now.
I rated it 3.5/5
In cinemas now
Coming soon on DVD and Blu Ray at: https://neofilmshop.com/collections/types?q=Hong%20Kong%20Movies
