The Last Dance is a worth-watching Hong Kong film, touching upon a profession that is not often talked about. Most importantly, it reminds us to care for the living ones around us before it is too late. In UK and Ireland cinemas from November 15, distributed by Trinity CineAsia.
★★★☆☆ 3/5
The Last Dance is one of the most anticipated Hong Kong films of the year. It stars two legendary comedy actors as its main protagonists: Dayo Wong, who is arguably the most successful stand-up comedian in the city, and Michael Hui, who directed and starred in multiple classic comedies in the 1970s and 80s. Don’t be mistaken though: even with occasional light-hearted moments, this film is not a comedy. As the title suggests, it is a film about funerals. The title refers to the dance performed by Taoist priest in a funeral ritual called “breaking the hell’s gate”, which is performed to lead the deceased to reincarnation. The two main protagonists are funeral directors in Hong Kong: Domonic, played by Dayo Wong, is an agent responsible for getting businesses and talking to clients, while Man, played by Michael Hui, is a Taoist priest responsible for performing the funeral rituals.
The film starts with Man performing the “breaking the hell’s gate” ritual, the dance that gives the film its title. The first half of the film then presents, one after another, the funerals that Dominic arranges, showing the various attitudes that the living has towards the dead. Some fail to let go of their loved ones who are no longer alive; some seem to never have cared about the deceased at all. At the heart of the film is, however, conflicts between different generations. Dominic, originally a wedding planner who has failed to keep his business amidst the pandemic, has lots of interesting and original ideas in his new profession as a funeral agent, and seems happy to accept whatever requirements his clients have as long as he gets paid. On the other hand, the older and stubborn Man follows traditions strictly and clashes with Dominic from time to time.
Beyond this, Man faces, within his own family, inter-generational conflicts. His son (played by an impressive Chu Pak Hong) works as a priest responsible for funeral rituals as well, but he merely sees it as a job that enables him to make ends meet. Man disapproves of his son’s indifferent attitude towards the rituals themselves. Man’s daughter (played by Michelle Wai), though deeply respectful of her father, frequently feels that her father does not value her the same way and is often irritated by his misogynistic attitudes towards women. Such family conflicts are played out fully in the second half of the film, which at times shows Man’s home more often than the funeral homes. The clear message is that, besides helping the dead with elaborate rituals, it is equally important to care for the living ones that remain.
The last person to have his funeral in the film is none other than Man himself, who died after suffering a stroke previously. The inter-generational conflict once more occupies the centre stage in the film’s ending, as traditional priests and Dominic debate whether Man’s daughter, as a woman, should be allowed to perform the “breaking the hell’s gate” ritual for her own father. The film thus also explores the conflict between traditions and the modern-day aspiration of gender equality. Religious traditions mandate that women cannot perform the funeral rituals as women are deemed “filthy”; this film tackles such belief directly in the final scene.
Dayo Wong and Michael Hui, being comedy masters themselves, produce amusing moments through their interactions from time to time. Still, as a funeral agent and a Taoist priest respectively, they have to keep solemnity apt for their roles at all times. It is worth praising how the director is able to put the two in such roles notwithstanding their frequent appearances in other films and television shows as comedy stars. Chu Pak Hong and Michelle Wai delivered good performances as well, portraying the struggles faced by many in working-class families. The Last Dance is a worth-watching Hong Kong film, touching upon a profession that is not often talked about. Most importantly, it reminds us to care for the living ones around us before it is too late.
