Yam Gong’s poems are known for their humour and clever use of Cantonese slang. However, I chose one of Yam Gong’s relatively serious poems to adapt into a short film. I chose this work because my mind was flooded with vivid images when I read it. References to things that have been familiar to me since my childhood, such as ‘ham gang’-a ritual of screaming one’s name to cure their illness-and ‘white sugar cake’, unexpectedly exist in this poem in a whimsical yet intriguing manner.
In this project, I aimed to explore the essence of Yam Gong’s poem by delving into both concrete and the abstract realms. My goal was to unearth the narrative’s potential unpredictability. Throughout the filming process, I gradually came to see that the protagonist’s ailment could also symbolise the emotional states that dwell within each individual. Our personal rituals may vary, but what remains crucial is that some inadvertent aspects of life can guide us through transformative and healing journeys.
—Chu Hoi Ying
Daily Life
I was maybe four or five
when I became seriously ill
In my delirium, a woman from Dongguan
wailed for my soul’s return
One foot of cloth, one bowl of water,
clothes burning brightly in a brazier at the foot of my bed
My parents walked amid the smoke
Through flickering silhouettes my worried brothers and sisters spun around my bed like horses on a revolving lantern
I saw my soul
following schoolmates from a former life
playing in the river of forgetfulness
Mother said,
You had us scared
Your body was ice cold
The trembling of your nostrils
the only sound
Not until you heard the voice of the sponge-cake seller did you open your eyes
and smile grimly
And then what, Mother?
Then you came to judge the world
We were watching you from far away, and day by day
you recovered
—Yam Gong
Translated by James Shea and Dorothy Tse
Credits
- Director
Chu Hoi Ying
- Cast
Chan Wai Lok, Liu Ho Man, Tang Cherry Zariyah, Lee Dominic Shing Yuen, Siu Fong Yeung
- Producers
Chu Hoi Ying, Mui Lok Him
- Assistant Producer
Lam Ting Hin
- Production Manager
Mui Lok Him
- Assistant Production Manager
Cho Kobe
- Production Assistants
Yuen Wai Ki, Chan Tak Wai, Chu Hoi Hei
- Cinematographer
Wong Wai Nap
- Assistant Camera
Kwok Wing Kin
- Gaffer
Huang Li Wei
- Still Photography/BTS
Chan Tak Wai
- Editor
j.him Lee
- Colourist
Lam Ting Hin
- Retoucher
Mok Ka Wing
- Title Design
Yen-Hui Lee
- Art Director
Bomb
- Art Assistant
Thisby Cheng
- Costume Designer
Eugene Wong
- Sound Design Postproduction
Seismic Sound Lab. Ltd.
- Sound Designer
Chou Cheng
- Sound Assistant
Huang Tsai-En
- Postproduction Sound Intern
Liu Bon-Yu
- Original Music
Brian Ting Chung Wai
- Voice Performance
Lai Yuk Lan
About the Commission
As a moving image commission project for young and emerging Hong Kong filmmakers, Poetry on Film is motivated by the belief that poetry possesses an inherent cinematic quality. Its rhythmic cadence, vivid imagery, and emotional depth offer a rich tapestry for filmmakers to weave their visual narratives.
Poetry on Film follows in the footsteps of the M+ short-film commission project Hong Kong as Mise-en-Scène (2023), which explores the city’s vibrant cultural landscape through moving image works. The idea for Poetry on Film was inspired by Ann Hui’s Elegies (2023), a documentary that looks at Hong Kong through the works of some of the city’s most innovative poets.