SONG OF THE EXILE (Ke Tu Qui Hen or Hag To Tsau Hun) has to be one of my favourite films of all time. It's a moving autobiography by one of the best Hong Kong film directors, Ann Hui. This sentimental and nostalgic journey gives the audience a glance at prejudice, hatred and wars between nations, regrets, desperation and hope between peoples. The film describes the misunderstandings, relationships and love within a family. Despite the conflicts between politics and countries, when it comes down to a human level, can we put everything aside to embrace kindness to love one another? This film is beautifully shot and tells a universally recognised story of family relationship that will touch every viewer's heart.
The story is set in the 1970s. Returning to Hong Kong with a Masters Degree from London, a young Western-educated Chinese woman Hueyin (Ann Hui, played by Maggie Cheung) is involved in conflict and torn between her modern beliefs and traditional values. Through the mist of confusion, she finally finds the key to a better understanding to achieve the long withheld approval of her nagging mother. A short trip to Japan (her mother's homeland) turns out to be a turning point in their relationship.
During a visit to her beloved grandparents in Canton at the height of the Cultural Revolution, she is saddened by the hardship her grandparents have been through. Yet even at the lowest point of their disappointment at an uncertain future, her grandfather still has not given up on China, hoping the best for his granddaughter and for the country a bright future. But in her heart, she knows they are old. Will they live long enough to see this bright future?
