The Last Dance (Chinese: 破·地獄) is a 2024 Hong Kong drama film directed and written by Anselm Chan. Starring Dayo Wong, Michael Hui, Michelle Wai, and Chu Pak Hong, the film explores themes related to Hong Kong's deathcare and follows a wedding planner (Wong) who enters the funeral industry through a partnership with a traditional Taoist priest (Hui), seeking to understand the meaning of life and death through funeral rituals.
The Last Dance | |
---|---|
Traditional Chinese | 破·地獄 |
Jyutping | Po3 Dei6 Juk6 |
Directed by | Anselm Chan |
Screenplay by | Anselm Chan Cheng Wai-kei |
Produced by | Anselm Chan Jason Siu Chan Sing-yan |
Starring | Dayo Wong Michael Hui Michelle Wai Chu Pak Hong |
Cinematography | Anthony Pun |
Edited by | William Chang Curran Pang |
Music by | Chu Wan-pin |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Emperor Motion Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 127 minutes |
Country | Hong Kong |
Language | Cantonese |
Marking the third feature film as a director, Anselm Chan transitioned from comedy to drama after conceiving the story during the COVID-19 pandemic. He began writing the screenplay in 2022 while filming Ready or Rot (2023), with principal photography taking place from January to March 2024. The film was shot on location at the Tung Wah Coffin Home and the International Funeral Parlour, marking the first time these venues have opened to the public for filming.
The film had its world premiere on 11 October 2024 at the 44th Hawaii International Film Festival, followed by a theatrical release in Hong Kong on 9 November. The film raked in over HKD$7 million on its first day of release, making it the highest opening day gross in the history of Hong Kong cinema.
Synopsis
editDominic, a wedding planner, is in debt during the pandemic lockdown and is forced to change careers. He takes over his girlfriend Jade's retiring uncle's funeral parlour and meets Master Man, a Taoist priest who performs the funeral ritual "Break Hell's Gate". Initially skeptical of Dominic's commitment to the funeral business, Man is antagonistic. To ease the tension, Dominic visits Man at home, only to be caught in an argument between Man's son Ben, a fellow priest, and daughter Yuet, a paramedic. Yuet expresses her disdain when Man calls her sister-in-law's undergarments "filthy", reflecting the belief that menstruation is impure and limits ancestral powers in Taoist thought.
To modernize the parlour, Dominic decides to accept tailor-made requests and even sells merchandise. However, Master Man, who is strictly traditional, disapproves of Dominic's approach. Their conflict escalates when Dominic agrees to fulfill a special request from a grieving mother who wishes to embalm her son using mummification. While other funeral parlours and Man consider the mother insane and refuse her, her unlimited budget makes Dominic eager to take her on as a client. Initially, Dominic tries to blackmail Ben for help after overhearing that Ben was baptized to allow his son to enter a Catholic school, but Ben rushes off to vomit upon seeing the decayed corpse. Feeling helpless, Man shows up and offers assistance to Dominic in embalming the body. Though Dominic expresses gratitude, Man scolds him, explaining that processing such request would obstruct the boy's reincarnation.
After this incident, Dominic is determined to learn more about the funeral business, seeking out professionals to teach him about corpse transportation, dressing, and embalming. His growing passion impresses Man, who begins to approve of him. During dinner, Dominic shares his life stories and thanks Man for teaching him how to help the deceased, noting that his previous work always focused on the living. Meanwhile, Jade informs Dominic that she is pregnant, but he hesitates about whether they should proceed with the pregnancy.
One evening, Ben's wife reveals at dinner that he has been baptized. The next day, while preparing for a funeral, Man tells Ben he is no longer qualified to be a priest and orders him to leave, suffering a stroke in the process. After learning that Man is paralyzed and requires care, Ben tells Yuet he plans to migrate to Australia since the Catholic school rejected his son. Yuet accuses him of irresponsibility, but Ben confesses he never wanted to be a priest. He was forced into it because the priesthood can only be passed down to males, and feels jealous of Yuet for living a life free from the funeral business.
Once Man is discharged from the hospital, Yuet takes on the responsibility of caring for him. However, Man continues to uphold his patriarchal views, refusing Yuet's help and even slapping her when she tries to bathe him. Eventually, Man reluctantly accepts her assistance and tries to protect her when she is slapped by her cicisbeo's wife on the street. One night, Man calls Dominic to visit and gives him the funeral parlour license, asking him to take care of the business. The following day, Man passes away in his sleep. In his death note, he thanks Dominic for inspiring him to recognize the importance of addressing the feelings of the living, which he had neglected throughout his career, and requests that Dominic oversee his funeral.
During Man's funeral, Dominic announces that Ben and Yuet will serve as the priests to perform "Break Hell's Gate". Many guests from the funeral business scoff and insist that women cannot be Taoist priests. Dominic refutes their sexist arguments and reveals that it was Man's last wish for Yuet to perform the ritual. Man also apologizes to Yuet in the note, admitting he had blindly followed patriarchal traditions without considering her feelings. Although many guests leave in discontent, Ben encourages Yuet and offers to guide her through the process. Together, they perform the ritual and embrace, with Ben apologizing to Yuet.
At last, Ben and Yuet reconcile, and Dominic agrees to proceed with the pregnancy, realizing that the funeral business has helped him understand the value of life and its significance.
Cast
edit- Dayo Wong as Dominic Ngai, a wedding planner who enters the funeral business during the pandemic[1]
- Michael Hui as Master "Hello" Man, a reputable Taoist priest strictly loyal to tradition[1][2]
- Michelle Wai as Yuet, a paramedic and Master Man's daughter who suffers from her father's patriarchal attitude[3]
- Chu Pak Hong as Ben, Master Man's son who is forced to become a Taoist priest to uphold the family tradition[3]
- Catherine Chau as Jade, Dominic's longtime girlfriend and Ming's niece[1]
- Paul Chun as Uncle Ming, a retiring funeral parlour owner[1]
Also appearing in the film are Elaine Jin as Lin, a restaurant owner near Master Man's funeral parlour who becomes acquainted with Yuet;[4] Chung Suet Ying as Suey, Dominic's loyal assistant who supports his career transition;[5] Rosa Maria Velasco as Miss Yan, a client who wishes to embalm her son's body;[1] Michael Ning as Lai, a client and businessman whose wife dies from an illness;[4] Rachel Leung as Soso, the best friend of Lai's deceased wife;[4] and Thor Lok as On, Yuet's paramedic colleague.[5] Kaki Sham was cast in a co-starring role as Dominic's younger brother,[6][7] and Vincent Kok was cast in an undisclosed role, but both of their scenes were cut from the theatrical version, and they received special thanks credits.[8][9]
Production
editDevelopment
editDirector-screenwriter Anselm Chan conceived the idea of creating a film to explore life and death ten years before the project began, but he felt he "wasn't ready technically or mentally".[10] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he revisited the concept after witnessing numerous deaths around him,[11] and he conducted field research for one and a half year by interviewing various workers in the funeral industry, incorporating real-life events they encountered into the story.[12] In 2022, he began writing the screenplay following his grandmother's passing while he was filming Ready or Rot (2023).[8][13] Chan intended to cast comedic actors during the scriptwriting phase, believing that they possess the highest acting skills and would be most suited to handle the film's solemn themes, and he selected Dayo Wong and Michael Hui due to the commercial success of Wong's A Guilty Conscience (2023) and Hui's performance in the drama film Godspeed (2016).[14] Since Chan's career has primarily focused on writing comedies, he initially expected rejections when pitching the screenplay and his intended casting choices to Emperor Motion Pictures, but the proposal was unexpectedly accepted on the spot by producer Jason Siu.[15] The project marks Chan's third feature film and the third collaboration with Emperor Motion Pictures.[10] Chan also described the early drafts of the screenplay as more "dark", which met with opposition from the confirmed cast members Dayo Wong, Elaine Jin, and Vincent Kok,[16][17] prompting him to refine the screenplay to give it a lighter and more comedic tone before Michael Hui received the script and board the project.[17] The screenplay also initially explored themes of sexism in Chinese traditions, inspired by Chan's personal experiences at a relative's funeral.[12]
On 2 January 2024, the film was officially announced to be in production with Dayo Wong and Michael Hui as the lead cast, under the Chinese working title "度脫之舞" (lit. The Dance of Relief).[18] The title was changed to "破地獄" (lit. Break Hell's Gate) after filming began.[8] On 4 January, Michelle Wai, Catherine Chau, Chu Pak Hong, Paul Chun, Elaine Jin, and Kaki Sham were revealed to be the rest of the main cast.[19] Chu Pak Hong, who is a Christian, was invited to join the cast by Chan while they were filming Ready or Rot, even though Chan was uncertain about whether he would accept the role due to his religious beliefs.[20] To prepare for their roles, Chu and Wai learned Break Hell's Gate for nine months before filming,[21] with their training starting prior to receiving the full script.[22] Although the ritual is traditionally performed only by men, Wai described the Taoist priests as "open-minded" and noted that they did not object to teaching her.[23] In March 2024, the film was presented at the Hong Kong Filmart.[24] In April, Dayo Wong teased that the film would be released in 2024,[25] and an official trailer was released in June.[26] Trinity CineAsia acquired distribution rights for the United Kingdom and Ireland in late October.[27]
Filming
editPrincipal photography began on 4 January 2024 in Tai Po.[28][29] Most of the location shooting took place in Hung Hom, an area known for its high concentration of funeral businesses,[30] including on Cooke Street and Baker Street.[31] The film was shot on-site at the Tung Wah Coffin Home and the International Funeral Parlour,[20][32] marking the first times for both venues to be opened for filming.[33][34] Shooting at the International Funeral Parlour took place at night and included scenes filmed in the mourning halls, basement, and morgue.[35] Filming reportedly wrapped in March,[10] while Anselm Chan noted that post-production lasted for nine months.[36]
Music
editOn 10 October 2024, Terence Lam was announced as the composer and performer of the film's theme song "The Last Dance".[37][38] This film marks Lam's first experience scoring for a feature film,[39] and he joined the project only after watching an early screening to determine if he felt inspired to write the music.[40] The theme song was released online on 23 October.[41] The film's soundtrack was composed by erhu artist Chu Wan-pin.[42] The naamyam piece "Song of the Exile" was also featured in the film.[4][43]
Release
editThe Last Dance had its world premiere at the 44th Hawaii International Film Festival on 11 October 2024,[44][45] followed by screenings as the opening film of the 21st Hong Kong Asian Film Festival,[46][47] and in the World Focus section of the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival.[48] It subsequently premiered in Hong Kong on 22 October at iSQUARE, Tsim Sha Tsui, with the premiere ceremony co-hosted by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.[49][50] The film was originally scheduled for theatrical release in Hong Kong on 14 November 2024, but in late October, it was announced that the date would be moved up to 9 November, with the distributors citing "positive reviews during festival screenings" as the reason for the change.[51][52] Cinemas in Hong Kong and Macau scheduled over 1,000 showings for the film on its first day of release,[53][54] marking the highest number of showings for any film on its opening day in Hong Kong.[55][56]
Reception
editBox office
editThe Last Dance grossed more than HKD$5.2 million by 4 pm (HKT) of the opening day, surpassing Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024) to achieve the highest opening day gross for 2024 Hong Kong films.[57][58] The total box office for the opening day concluded at approximately HKD$7.47 million, outdoing the record of HKD$5.45 million set by Cold War 2 (2016) and making it the highest opening day gross in the history of Hong Kong cinema.[51][59][60] On the early morning of the second day of release, the box office reached HKD$10 million,[61] surpassing A Guilty Conscience (2023) which also starred Dayo Wong, and making it the fastest film to reach the 10 million mark in Hong Kong's movie history.[62][63] The film raked in HKD$20 million on its third day of release,[64] and climbed to HKD$30 million by its fifth day.[65]
Critical response
editRichard Kuipers of Variety described The Last Dance as "lovely, life-affirming", highlighting its poignant exploration of life and death through the unlikely partnership of a former wedding planner and a traditional Taoist priest, strengthened by the chemistry between Dayo Wong and Michael Hui, while also praising Michelle Wai as a "particular standout", along with the "polished cinematography" and "terrific production design", and noting the film's insightful commentary on gender roles and personal growth within the context of Hong Kong's deeply rooted Taoist funeral customs.[1] Phil Hoad of The Guardian gave the film 4/5 stars, describing it as a "well-constructed and punchy melodrama" that effectively balances themes of death, tradition, and sexism through its "confident dramatic patterning" and "breezy universality", while also acknowledging the complementary relationship between the characters portrayed by Dayo Wong and Michael Hui.[66]
Edmund Lee of South China Morning Post also gave the film 4/5 stars and called it "one of the best women's empowerment films Hong Kong cinema has seen", particularly praising Michelle Wai's "career-best performance" with her portrayal of her character's conflicted emotions in the face of her father and brother's misogynistic mindsets, and noted the film's powerful themes regarding gender and the search for meaning in life.[67] Wendy Ide of Screen International described the film as engaging for its successful blend of domestic drama and humor, offering a "forthright examination of the collision between tradition and feminism" through the "conflicted, strong-willed, and empathetic" character of Yuet, while also acknowledging the vivid depiction of Taoist funeral rituals and the emotionally resonant film score.[3]
Keith Ho, writing for HK01, praised the screenplay as "masterful" for redefining the concept of "Break Hell's Gate" and highlighting its poignant exploration of life, death, and the struggles of women in a patriarchal society, while also commending the female ensemble's performances and specifically acknowledging Chu Pak Hong and Michelle Wai for their memorable portrayals of complex characters.[4] In his Esquire review, Kwok Ching-yin praised the film as a significant achievement in Hong Kong cinema for its box office success, commending its strong script and character development, particularly highlighting the performances of Dayo Wong and Michael Hui for their successful transition from comedic roles to exploring serious themes, which ultimately showcases the film's depth and emotional resonance in a challenging market.[68]
Awards and nominations
editYear | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | 39th Huading Awards | Best Actress | Michelle Wai | Won | [69] |
References
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