[Review] Beyond the Dream: the Local Flavor and the Human Touch
Recently, many netizens have called on everyone to support local films by going to see Beyond the Dream, but this film definitely has more reasons to be supported.
With the release of Beyond the Dream, the three Hong Kong films dubbed the "Golden Scene Trio" – Suk Suk, My Prince Edward, and Beyond the Dream – have finally all been officially released in Hong Kong. Recently, many people online have been ranking these three films, and while everyone's preferences differ, I believe many would agree that Beyond the Dream was the most challenging to produce. The film's protagonist, Lok (Terrance Lau), is a recovering schizophrenic who is haunted by hallucinations. Everything he perceives is a blur between reality and illusion, making it impossible for him to completely trust what he sees and hears. Seeing "a blur between reality and illusion," some might assume this is a psychological thriller, but the film is actually a love story. Given this premise, the production team had to be very careful in handling the hallucination-related plot points, controlling their rhythm and style. Even a slight overstep could affect the film's stylistic coherence. Fortunately, the director was clearly very cautious and restrained in handling these scenes, keeping them concise, preventing the film's style from changing drastically. However, due to the needs of the script, the film's plot and style do have several twists and turns, which might make it difficult for some viewers to fully immerse themselves.
Another difficulty this film faced was how to handle its characters: the male protagonist, Lok, is a recovering schizophrenic, while the female protagonist (Cecilia Choi) has a sexual relationship with her married mentor. The outside world generally holds negative labels and perceptions towards these two types of people. As a love story, this film not only had to avoid making the audience develop negative feelings towards these characters but also had to make the audience invest in their relationship. After watching this film, I especially admire the director and screenwriter's handling. The film not only completely avoids judging these characters but also deeply explores their psychological states, changes, desires, and personal flaws, making it easy for the audience to understand their behavior and even sympathize with them. The relationship between the two protagonists is full of contradictions, obstacles, and controversy, making their love even more precious. Beyond the romance, this film is also full of a strong sense of human touch and empathy, allowing the audience to understand and sympathize with the characters in the film with different standpoints and motivations, as well as showing care for mental illness patients and all minority groups in society.
The film's two leads, Terrance Lau and Cecilia Choi, both deliver outstanding performances. Both have numerous scenes of emotional outbursts and breakdowns, and the abundant close-up shots fully showcase their nuanced acting. Cecilia Choi's character in the film undergoes even more changes, and her performance is full of layers. The film's two important supporting actors, Nina Paw and Chan-Leung Poon, play professors. Although their screen time and room for performance are limited, their acting is masterful and their performances are perfectly fitting. I especially like the film's cinematography and score. Many of the film's shots are hidden, full of mystery and a touch of ambiguity. When filming emotional and introspective scenes, the camera mainly focuses on close-ups, working very closely with the actors' performances. The film's score has a touch of melancholy and repression, precisely reflecting the characters' psychological states, which blur the lines between reality and illusion.
What is local? My knowledge is limited, and I am not an expert in this area, so I dare not define it casually. But the human touch and the settings of Beyond the Dream made me realize what local flavor is. Everyone may have seen many films about mental illness in the past, and even one of the most popular Hollywood films last year touched on this subject, but Beyond the Dream's story takes place in Hong Kong and is full of human touch and care for the local community. Moreover, many scenes in the film take place on the Light Rail vehicles, Light Rail stations, pedestrian tunnels, and old public housing estates. I believe local audiences will feel a strong sense of familiarity when watching. This film describes just one story that happened in these places. Viewers may have also experienced different stories in these places, whether those stories involve love, joy, sadness, or anger. Our stories may be different, but we share a common language and a common identity. Perhaps these are our local values.
Trailer:
Synopsis:
Lok (Chun-Him Lau) is a recovering schizophrenic who yearns for love. One day, he encounters the young and beautiful Yan (Cecilia Choi) and quickly falls in love with her. Just when he struggles whether to tell her about his illness, he has a relapse and becomes delusional. Little does he know that she's a psychological counselor who has a hidden agenda. The pair develops a relationship that is beyond their wildest dreams.
Photo and Source: IMDb