After This Our Exile 父子

[kidd]

English Title : After This Our Exile
Chinese Title : 父子

$this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4214&stc=1')

Director : Patrick Tam Ka-Ming
Writer : Patrick Tam Ka-Ming, Tian Kai-Leong
Cast :
Aaron Kwok
Charlie Yeung
Gouw Ian Iskandar (aka Ng King-To)
Kelly Lin
Tsui Ting Yau
Qin Hailu

Synopsis :
Good looks. Charming. Ladies man. Male buddies looked up to him. Not anymore. He is a shadow of the man he once was. A man past his prime. He has gambled it all away. He is down and out. And he is a father to a son who is smart and loves his father dearly -- though he may not always understand why his father hurts his mother so. So when the mother plots to leave the father, the son informs the father and mother is violently beaten and locked up. But mother schemes to leave anyway after that, the son is left alone with the father. Soon the gambling habits of the father makes a thief out of the son. The son resists but is no match to the father's cajoling and blackmail. The son was finally caught and sent to a juvenile detention center. Father visits him and son bites off his ear. The lost of innocence is complete.

Ten years later, son returns to his home town and sees somebody who looks like father -- they do not meet. Father and son walks away in different directions.

Source:
Synopsis and Poster - http://www.karazen.com/reviews/movie...isourexile.php

[Lady Zhuge]

It sounds like the feel-good movie of the year. Or not.

Actually I've heard of this film and that it's quite good.

[kidd]

Watched this movie yesterday. I find it very depression but also very realistic. The movie certainly deserves its Golden Horse Award.

The movie shows how a gambling addiction ruined a family and how a broken family affected a child. My heart went out to the son throughout the movie from start to finish. I was especially sad that it the end the son seemed to belong nowhere. Both his mother and his father have their own family. I think both his parents just gave up on him, which was really sad. He is the most innocent victim of the situation. I felt that both the parents were selfish but also very human. They did care for their son, but ultimately they just gave up and seek their own happiness. Ok, the son was angry with the parents and rejected them, but should they haven't given up so easily. The kid has every right to be angry with both parents. One abandon him and go build her own happy family while the other caused him to be beaten up badly and locked up in juvernile detention center. The son was draw realistically too. He's childish, but not irritatingly sweet or innocent. He did resort to stealing on his own innitiative when the family was too destitute (the first time, he did it on his own accord, but other times, it's his father who force him to steal).

Another thing I like about the movie is the care for details in the dialogues. I love the malaysian slang cantonese, so Ipoh . The scriptwriter is careful to sprinkle the dialogues with phrases that are unique to the malaysia cantonese and also some malay and english words, such as 'suma' (a cantonese word derived from the malay word 'semua' that means 'all') and bas sekolah (malay word meaning 'school bus') and adding the 'mo' sound at the end of a question (u won't hear this in HK show). Not only that, the director also made the actors speak their dialogue the malaysian way. Like when the Gouw Ian Iskandar said 'aunty' and 'uncle'. The tone and pronunciation are different from what one usually hears from HK show. we say it is more flatly. Also, the nickname 'Ah Boy' that Aaron and Charlie's characters called their son. My family all used to call my brother 'Ah Boy' too. I dunno about KL, but I think it's quite a common term parents use to call their son in Ipoh.

The scenery is of course very familiar to me (although I can't figure out which part on Ipoh it is). Some scenes looks a bit like my hometown, but I don't remember the characters moving there. So, I thing it's just similar type of building. Also good to see the bus station I frequented during my school days get featured in the movie.

I wonder why the director set the story in Ipoh. This kind of story is universal and can be set anywhere. But since this is a HK movie, why not set in HK? I read that the director has migrated to Malaysia. Maybe he is staying in Ipoh, so, want to introduce Ipoh to more people. I mean, most people only know Melacca, KL and Penang.

[kidd]

Want add something to my comment. Although this movie is depressing, it's not depressed all time. There are still 1 or 2 scenes that are funny and some loving/touching scenes between father and son. Just that overall it's depressing to be because I felt sad for the son.

I dunno how is the condition of juvernile detention centers in Malaysia. I hope just the son gets a decent education in there and learn some good living skill. The grown up son seems to be quite a moral person though. Good to know that his sucky childhood didn't ruin him complete.

[Lady Zhuge]

I agree that most of this movie was presented in a very realistic manner. The only unrealistic part was Aaron Kwok playing dual roles.

I felt so sorry for the boy. He's such a good kid and really very mature and well-mannered for his age. His parents on the other hand... I liked the ending. Despite everything, there was still hope. Casting for the grown-up boy was very appropriate; the actor really resembles Aaron.