Impotence and Foster Father

Men in 2003 were started with sexual impotent issues, generated fby Louis Koo in Love for All Seasons. When this dandy, as a king of hurting ladies, facing sexual impotence and memory loss, should have to think a lot to pretend to meet Cherrie Ying as if it was the first time he met her and passionately gains her friendship in Why Me, Sweeties, has overthrown the existing value of "Handsome man is heartless". Right after that, he also cannot passionately attach to his lover in bed in Good Times, Bed Times. Sexual impotence still exists, and at the same time, it is also a metaphor of Hong Kong. It is also a symbol of impotent to lose gun dull-wittedly in PTU, which is as impotent as Big who angrily beat a bird to death and understand the retribution before beginning to feel pain in Running on Karma. Men Suddenly in Black, same as the case, expresses that strong men are not definitely wise for attempting to call their old lovers for the excitements of stealthy love affairs, or to call some hostesses to prove their strong bodies, while their wives are about to burst open the door. Men would be not strong anymore, that is what Oedipus' fear about the lost of ability of male sexual organ instinct involving the lost of male's identity and social position while tainting male's identity.

This is Hong Kong. In 2003, Hong Kong people were in the situation of helplessly observing the disability which happened everywhere. From 1997 to 2003, there is an indication of the repeating of the three years in Three and Infernal Affairs. Moreover Men Suddenly in Black expresses the remembrance of the past dynasty of British government by thinking of the beautiful impression of Fight Club before 1997. So British as a foster father for Hong Kong still deeply touches people. It is same as Tony Leung rendering his loyalty to Inspector Wong in Infernal Affairs, Raymond Wong's switching loyalty to Wong Keung who carry British blood in Color of the Truth and Lung Wai's exerting himself to Eric Tsang in Dragon Loaded 2003. The triangle relationship between Hong Kong, China and British is laid out to the public. Hong Kong people have came to the bottom of valley when thinking about the past and feeling incompetent.

To cultivate manhood and embrace our real father

To say that long, I am merely attempting to introduce the movies in 2004's spring which happen to show the regeneration of manhood and even paying respect to our natural father. Firstly, in Itchy Heart, for example, Lau Ching Wan encounters his old girlfriend after seven years, comes again to make an association with the years of 1997 and 2004, but he is not as uneasy as Eric Tsang who meets Maria again in Men Suddenly in Black. This is the time for middle-aged men to develope relationships with women within easy reach. Finally, he admits without obstruction, although some hesitation, to renew his romantic relationship by starting from divorce and falling in love again with his old lover. There is no impotency and also, no the sudden recovery from impotency. It is also the same case with Lousie Koo and Gigi Leung, in Love on the Rocks, who decided to separate after Easter holiday. It is the moment, for an emergency love affair, for them to have a chance to look at the past and recognize that love is for life while the past segments always show up in every new relationship. People can learn and accumulate teachings and then being release after reunion that is totally the feeling of looking back on history. Those two stories, in which indicate the transition of little men without a reverent but the openhearted opinion and resolute decision making, one is directed by Matt Chow and the other is Chan Hing Kai himself, are all coming from the idea of Chan Hing Kai. Men no more linger around on the bottom of valley of sexual desire through re-identifying their social identities.

Men have found their leading positions for themselves when they admit their faults and recognize their directions. For example, when Charlene Choi in Papa Loves You suddenly understands that his father is the head of a gang, though it is just by mistake, she can understand, in the process, that her father is just a wonderful men. That kind of re-cognition is just like Daniel Wu in Enter the Phoenix who keeps a distance from his father, Biao Yuen, since the very beginning and lives his own life by his own effort, but he comes back to Hong Kong after his father has passed away. It is right that there is a lot of nonsense and camp joking or the miss-touched love affair of boss, but finally he re-burns the love of son and father, which is as closely as the relationship between Chapman To and Law Ka Ying in the film although his father and him are separated by death. He, as a camp handsome man, powerfully and strongly leads the society, for though this plot is discussable, it can indicate the recovery of Hong Kong after being in seven-year ambiguous situation. The camp handsome man of course finally does not change back to normal, but instead, he reunites with his lover, Frankie, in far away place. Daniel Wu, as the combination of the boss and the beauty which is the portrayal of this moment, is just like the manifestation of Hong Kong People - to be the lord of ourselves and going towards the beautiful future by setting new directions.

Men gradually step into brighter future

One day I met Chan Hing Kai in a film forum. He said the role of male would be changed in 2004 Hong Kong Cinema, especially when the economy has obviously grown. He would like to create some relatively positive male characters. I think the impotent men in 2003 will disappear, and they will be shining with clear identity whether they are middle-age men, or healthy handsome men. Although their lives are still covered in mist, the effort may be just easy as turning the hand up. According to Freud, to realize Men should go through the process from sexual organ to male identity and to social identification. The impotent male in 2003 Hong Kong Cinema is once a losing direction and in 2004, on the contrary, male is becoming equilibrium and stepping into a brighter future.

By Chan Ka Ming

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