The Next Reel Film Podcast

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"The government doesn’t let us mix with foreigners. You’ll get us into trouble if you take photos here.”

Ann Hui had been working on a documentary for a Hong Kong network when she interviewed a number of ‘boat people,’ people fleeing Vietnam from the rule of China. This piqued her curiosity in the subject and defined her next two films, The Story of Woo Viet and Boat People. This ‘Vietnam Trilogy’ of hers, and particularly the last film, gave Ann Hui a boost in her career as it took off around the world, marking her as one of the Hong Kong New Wave directors. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we close out our series on Hui as well as kick off a series on journalists with her 1982 film Boat People.

Boat People gives us the blank slate reporter we’ve been looking for.

There are many comments and reviews about this film that dislike the portrayal of the journalist as being too naïve. For us, it feels like a character choice and works well to set up the film as a journey for this photographer – our audience surrogate – as the layers are slowly peeled back to reveal what sort of atrocities are really going on in China-ruled Vietnam after the US left.

Add to that exceptional child actor performances as the kids that connect with our photographer, not to mention the visceral violence that shakes us up, and it’s easy to see why this film affects us. The cinematography, the music, the locations, the performances, the direction – everything works well to deliver a powerful film that depicts a unique conflict in this part of the world we learned little about in our history books.

We have differing opinions on how well the film stuck with us, but no matter how you slice it, it was a film that affected us and worked well. We have a great conversation about it so check it out then tune in. The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!

Film Sundries

Learn more about supporting The Next Reel Film Podcast through your own membership.

• Find places to view this at JustWatch
• Theatrical trailer
• Poster artwork
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• X
• YouTube
• Flickchart
• Pinterest
• Pete 
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.

“See you after the victory.”

As a filmmaker in Hong Kong, there’s an inevitable balancing act they need to do with their stories and how they depict China. This story portrays an interesting element of World War II that wasn’t often taught in Western history classes – the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. Having it told from the Hong Kong perspective is also unique to us. That being said, the film was made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the fold of China. Does that affect the tone of the story? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our series on Hong Kong New Wave director Ann Hui with her 2017 film Our Time Will Come.

The time has come to discuss Our Time Will Come.

It’s hard to not start our conversation with celebration of the fantastic delight we get from Eddie Peng as the revolutionary Blackie Lau. Every time he’s on screen, it lights up. How does everyone else do? Honestly, lots of performances to celebrate, and when we’re not celebrating Eddie Peng, it’s Deannie Ip, Xun Zhou, Wallace Huo, or many of the other performers in the film.

But does the story work? It works differently for each of us, and we debate why. Is it because our unfortunate lack of knowledge in the history in this part of the world during WWII? Or whether there should be a romance? Or if the story delivers enough tension in the action scenes and sequences? Or maybe the story never quite delivers?

And why does the CG in the film look less than top notch?

Regardless, it’s an interesting film with characters we generally like that shows how simple school teachers and mothers can end up becoming spies. We have a great time in our conversation with the film. It’s worth checking out, so do so then tune in. The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!

Film Sundries

Learn more about supporting The Next Reel Film Podcast through your own membership.

• Watch this on Apple or Amazon, or find other places at JustWatch
• Theatrical trailer
• Poster artwork
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• X
• YouTube
• Flickchart
• Pinterest
• Pete 
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.

There are a lot of elements from Ann Hui’s own life in her film Song of the Exile. It’s not a biographical film, though. Knowing that, what are we meant to take away from it? Is it an exploration of Hui’s own life? A chance for her to exorcise some demons from her youth? Or did she simply use those elements as a way to frame this story about a daughter slowly growing to know her own mother? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Ann Hui series with her 1990 film Song of the Exile.

We didn’t find as much to connect with in Song of the Exile.

This was a frustrating film experience for us. There were interesting story elements throughout the film, but they never congealed to make a complete film for us. It’s the story of a self-centered daughter who has to learn that her mother isn’t just someone to hate but who is a person with their own life journey and baggage. It’s the story of a mother who has to reconnect with her own past to find reconciliation and acknowledge that the life she’s living now is actually pretty good. But could it be more clear? We think so.

There are also elements of the East/West mentality throughout the film, though never completely clear with their intent. Is that simply because it was a Hong Kong film made at a time when China was getting close to taking over control of what was at the time a British colony? Or was there more here?

That speaks to some of our overall difficulties with the film – we don’t have a good understanding of the conflicts between China, Japan, and Manchuria, where some of this film takes place. Would more knowledge of that history have helped us? And would all of this work better for an audience from Hong Kong and the area?

Despite all of that, Maggie Cheung and Lu Hsiao-fen work well as daughter and mother. But this feels like a film that gets lost in its telling. Is this the mother’s story? The daughter’s? All in all, there are a lot of interesting elements and it certainly is a film worth looking at. We just found it disappointing in the end, but plenty of people seem to love this film, so perhaps it’s for you. So check out the movie then tune in to the episode! There is a lot to talk about in the film. The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!

Film Sundries

Learn more about supporting The Next Reel Film Podcast through your own membership.

• Watch this on YouTube
• Script Transcript
• Theatrical trailer
• Poster artwork
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• X
• YouTube
• Flickchart
• Pinterest
• Pete 
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.