Chelichan Blog • 27th January 2023

Arica (2022) Film Review

This is a powerful documentary following the lawsuit against a Swedish mining company which reportedly dumped toxic waste in the Chilean desert, leading to thousands of local residents falling ill. Throughout history, there have sadly been many giant corporations that have continued to serve only their interests. Arica chronicles another great injustice upon the world – interrogating the alleged actions of a giant Swedish mining company, Boliden, that was believed to have dumped 20,000 tonnes o

Chelichan Blog • 26th January 2023

Get The Hell Out (2020) Film Review

A satirical political horror that’s full of gore and cheese? How could you miss out on Get the Hell Out? As the directorial debut of Wang I-Fan, Get the Hell Out focuses on a disgraced MP called Ying Ying, played by Megan Lai, who is fired from her job after fighting with journalists and a security guard. Her goal and mission as an MP is to stop a chemical plant that was built on her home. Ultimately, she faces tough opposition and ends up losing her fight against the corrupt politicians. This

Chelichan Blog • 25th January 2023

Drifting (2021) Film Review

Drifting follows a homeless nomad struggling against an uncaring government and an antagonistic police force. Jun Li has already set a high standard of filmmaking with his debut drama Tracey, which focused on a trans person coming out at 50 and their struggles in society. This time around, he’s decided to tackle homelessness in Hong Kong with his latest drama, Drifting. The film opens up with Fai, played by Francis Ng, being released from prison and refusing a half-way house. After he leaves t

Chelichan Blog • 24th January 2023

Shadows (2020) Film Review

Shadows is a psychological thriller following a forensic psychiatrist uncovering the truth of a case and her own demons from her past. As the feature length directorial debut for Glenn Chan, Shadows is a remarkably visual and intense thriller that focuses on forensic psychiatrist Ching, portrayed by Stephy Tang. Suffering with her own past trauma, Ching must work with the police to uncover the truth of a series of cases that seem to be linked. The film opens up with eerie sounds and disturbing

Chelichan Blog • 22nd January 2023

I Still Remember (2021) Film Review

I Still Remember follows a young man’s life as he struggles to find motivation and purpose. Directed by Lik Ho, I Still Remember centres around the past events of a slacker called Lee Chi Hang, played by Wu Tsz Tung Tony, as he recounts key moments throughout his life. It begins with him visiting an editor to tell his life story and is told through a series of flashbacks. Throughout the film we see that Lee’s life isn’t quite as free-spirited as he thinks. He’s in a dead end job that he doesn’

Chelichan Blog • 21st January 2023

Mr Prince Edward (2019) Film Review

My Prince Edward is the directorial debut of Norris Wong and follows a woman’s journey as she questions society’s view of marriage. Also written by Wong, My Prince Edward focuses on a thirty-something woman named Fong (Stephy Tang). She works with her boyfriend Edward (Pak Hon Chu) in a wedding boutique near a working-class area called Prince Edward. The two have been dating for several years but Fong eventually begins to question their future together. After Edward asks her to marry him with

Chelichan Blog • 20th January 2023

Bleeding Audio (2021) Film Review

Bleeding Audio connotes a dying song or a dying band, but that’s not true for The Matches. Directed by Chelsea Christer in her first feature length documentary, Bleeding Audio tells the real story of The Matches, their promising career, their break up and their reunion. It’s an intimate portrait that shows the ugly side of the music business and how tough it actually is, while highlighting the importance of a positive bond within the band. Christer makes an engaging documentary that explores th

Chelichan Blog • 19th January 2023

Dragon Rider (2021) Film Review

A heart-warming animation film that follows a young dragon on a quest to save his friends and family. Dragon Rider shows what happens when animals take matters into their own hands. Based on the best-selling book of the same name by author Cornelia Funke, Dragon Rider tells the story of a dragon named Firedrake (voiced by Thomas Brodie-Sangster) who wants to try and save the older generation of dragons by finding a mythical safe haven called the Rim of Heaven. On his quest, Firedrake is joined

Chelichan Blog • 18th January 2023

The Empty Hands (2017) Film Review

The Empty Hands is a slow-paced drama that challenges a woman to step up after the death of her father while dealing with her unresolved issues. Directed by Chapman To, The Empty Hands follows an unlucky woman’s struggle to regain full ownership of her deceased father’s dojo while she reminisces about her turbulent relationship with him. It stars Stephy Tang as Mari Hirakawa, a Japanese-Chinese slacker who thinks her luck is about to change, only for her father to challenge her one last time.

Chelichan Blog • 17th January 2023

Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down (2019) Review

Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down focuses on four stories collated together to explore the challenges and realities of living in Hong Kong. Directed by Leung Ming-kai and Kate Reilly, Memories to Choke on, Drinks to Wash Them Down is a collection of four short films showcasing the different realities in Hong Kong. It shows a snapshot into Hong Kong in three different short dramas and a documentary segment. It starts with a tale based on an Indonesian woman who cares for an elderly

Chelichan Blog • 16th January 2023

Till We Meet Again (2019) Film Review

Till We Meet Again is a drama that deals with loss and the effects it has on our mental health. Inspired by Steven Ma’s own experience with loss and mental illness, Till We Meet Again is a dark drama that follows Ka-wai, played by Ma as well, as he tries to reunite with his missing mother. All is not as it seems as an unknown past trauma keeps surfacing up and affecting his mental health. Ka-wai is a lonely salesman but a wonderful son. He cares for his elderly father and we see how helpful and

Chelichan Blog • 15th January 2023

Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) Film Review

Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain sets the landmark for an outstanding wuxia-fantasy film filled with comedy, drama and epic fights. Based on the novel Legend of the Swordsmen of the Mountains of Shu by Huanzhulouzhu, Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain is one of the most important achievements in Hong Kong cinema. Directed by Tsui Hark, the film is a wuxia fantasy film combining martial arts and supernatural elements to create a memorable epic. Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain tells t

Chelichan Blog • 14th January 2023

A Witness Out of the Blue (2019) Film Review

A Witness Out of the Blue combines comedy, thrills and drama to create an unmissable film involving murder… and a parrot suspect. Written and directed by Fung Chih-chiang, A Witness Out of the Blue follows a murder investigation with a parrot being the only witness. It stars Louis Koo as Sean Wong, who plays a criminal who is framed for the murder and must clear his name. He must prove his innocence while dealing with a police chief who is desperate to pin the crime on him to avenge his underc

Chelichan Blog • 13th January 2023

The Lost Shoes (2020) Film Review

A documentary showing how one naïve man from the countryside can side with terrorists to serve his political and moral agenda. Loosely inspired by The Lost Shoes, Holy Water and Red Brigades by Armando Lanza, The Lost Shoes follows Lanza intertwining his personal life with his revolutionary efforts through history. Directed by Tomaso Aramini and Rafqfuad Yarahmadi, it explores Lanza’s political journey as a militant in the ranks of the Revolutionary Left and then the guerrilla outfit known as T

Chelichan Blog • 12th January 2023

The English Teacher (2020) Film Review

Written, directed and starring Blake Ridder, The English Teacher tells the story of an unconventional relationship between a teacher and his pupil. Who would’ve thought that a relationship between a private English teacher and a student could be so complicated? Written, directed and edited by Blake Ridder, The English Teacher follows a man called Robert, played by Louis James, who lives a miserable life – but ends up being revitalised by a new student called Jin, played by Ridder. The English

Chelichan Blog • 11th January 2023

Leap (2020) Film Review

A sports movie with heart, follow the Chinese women’s volleyball team as they strive for victory in this biopic. The Chinese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards, Leap follows the ups and downs of China’s national female volleyball team, with a particular focus on legendary player and coach Lang Ping and her rise to international fame with her talent and determination. Directed by Peter Ho-sun Chan, the film spans three decades as the team try and make it known to

Chelichan Blog • 10th January 2023

Pinki (2020) Film Review

Ever wondered what happens to your old technology? South Korean short film Pinki explores our relationship with technology from our childhood and asks if our joy is ever truly gone. Recently uploaded on the premium sci-fi brand site Dust, South Korean filmmaker Spike Hyunsuk Kik’s short film Pinki sets the stage of a distorted South Korea. The movie follows a man named Tae (played by Sung-chun Han) who is being followed by a mysterious woman covered in pink clothing called Pinki (played by Kim

Chelichan Blog • 9th January 2023

Summer of Mesa (2020) Film Review

A young girl finds herself torn between two different romances, and begins to question her sexuality in the process. Shot over just six days in Cape Cod, Summer of Mesa follows a young girl named Lily, played by Molly Miles, who spends the summer visiting her grandmother. During her time there, she ends up caught in a confusing love triangle. Lily is a reserved and shy girl who enjoys reading classic literature over parties. Her life is turned around after reuniting with her childhood friend J

Chelichan Blog • 8th January 2023

The Instinct (2020) Film Review

A strange disease develops and eliminates human actions making them more animalistic in this dystopian short film by Unryu Sudo. Known as animal instinct syndrome, a new kind of strange disease infects people in The Instinct. Written and directed by Unryu Sudo, this film explores how loneliness can actually force people into becoming less human. It starts by following a man known as Tamura (Asuma), who sees his girlfriend Lulu (Runa Mitsuzaki) develop symptoms of animal instinct syndrome. Tamu

Chelichan Blog • 7th January 2023

Run It Up (2020) Film Review

A desperate mother is willing to do anything for her son – even if that means robbing a bank. Run It Up is a gangster film that shows crime doesn’t always pay. Yung Cat is known to many as a talented songwriter and rapper, but he’s been slowly building up his reputation as an independent director. Run It Up is a gangster drama that follows a young mother named Diamond, played by Red Diamond, who struggles to support her son with a minimum wage job. In order to give her son Tyriek, played by Ri