The Secret
Reviewed by YTSL
Up until recently, it would have been absolutely
correct to say that I didn’t think much of the work of Ann Hui. Although
I had got off to a great start in my exploration of the filmography of
the 2002 HKIFF’s “Director In Focus” with a viewing of her semi-autobiographical
“Song of the Exile”, far less positive experiences -- including “Ah Kam”
and, especially, “My American Grandson” -- ended up following in its wake.
Indeed, so negative were my reactions to a further taste of what this veteran
auteur had on offer that I had pretty much decided that it might be best
for me to give all of her films a wide berth for a while there.
For more than one reason though, this (re)viewer
found herself unable to resist checking out “July Rhapsody”. After
being blown away by that so very compelling 2002/late 2001 drama, I got
to thinking that it might be worth it after all to take a chance and look
some more at certain of the veteran auteur’s earlier efforts. In
which case, I figured, why not go for THE SECRET? After all, apart
from its having come to be retrospectively regarded as having co-heralded
the beginning of the exciting “New Wave” of Hong Kong movie making (along
with Tsui Hark’s “The Butterfly Murders” -- another film which came out
in 1979 -- and Yim Ho’s “The Extras” that was released in the previous
year), Ann Hui’s debut cinematic offering is a critically lauded effort
in a genre that I had not yet seen her tackle (crime drama).
As can be seen by her having directed episodes
of TVB series entitled CID and ICAC, Ann Hui actually was no stranger to
this type of work. What with one of the former small screen efforts
(the made in 1977 “Murder”) having been based on a real life incident,
THE SECRET also turned out to not be her first attempt at basing a fictional
offering on an actual homicide case. As such, she had good reason
to feel comfortable with, plus prove to be an expert at, manipulating the
thematic material of a suspenseful murder mystery; not least one that may
surprise some in terms of its containing as many feminine touches behind
the scenes -- e.g., this movie’s scriptwriter is Joyce Chan, its composer
is Violet Lam, its credited producer being Audrey Li, and the production
house (Unique Films) that put it out having been formed by this offering’s
lead actress, Sylvia Chang, along with Selina Chow -- as well as on screen
as it does.
For the first twenty minutes or so, there appears
to be an overwhelming amount of people for the viewer(s) of THE SECRET
to get acquainted with and keep track of. To some extent, I might
have felt this as a result of my lack of familiarity with many of the sophisticatedly
structured work’s cast (Something that was exacerbated by those I do know
looking so much younger than I’m used to seeing them!). However,
I would not put it past Ann Hui and co. to have arranged for there to be
what amounted to a quick parade of individuals through the early part of
this psychological cum criminal puzzler in order to provide the audience
with a fair number of possible suspects plus red herrings to dot the landscape
of that which was made especially atmospheric by its having been set in
Lung Fu Shan/Western District. Additionally, I can see that this
apparent plethora of personnel is an all together logical by-product of
at least three of this effort’s main characters being the type of Hong
Kongers who still lived with relatives and were part of inter-connected
social webs.
For example, the person (named Lin Ming and portrayed
by Sylvia Chang) who decided to embark on her own investigation of a double
murder -- that the police (among whom is an officer played by Kenneth Tsang)
wanted to pin on a madman (essayed by Norman Tsui), despite the protestations
of his mother (played by Leung Suk Hing) -- was a neighbor plus friend
of the family of the female who was said to have been killed -- but not
raped, despite initial suspicions re this other crime also having taken
place -- plus a nurse in the same hospital in which the male victim had
been a medico. Then there’s it being so that -- at least according
to her family, even if not his mother -- Li Yuen (who is portrayed by Angie
Chiu, and referred to by Lin Ming referred as Yuen Chea Chea/Older Sister
Yuen) was on her way to becoming the future wife of Dr. Yuen Tsi Cho (who
Alex Man played) prior to the pair’s premature plus violent demise.
As THE SECRET starts to very smoothly plus cleverly
reveal itself though, this (re)viewer got to feeling that, for the most
part, it would be enough to focus her attention on: Lin Ming; Li Yuen (whose
character is one of those that get fleshed out by way of a multitude of
flashbacks that occur throughout the film); Li Yuen’s rheumatoid and blind
-- but still very aware plus sensitive re her surroundings -- grandmother
(who may have been essayed by Lai Cheuk Cheuk); Dr. Yuen (AKA Ah Cho);
and a Macau resident -- but Thai native -- known to be a TB patient of
his called Mary Gabriel as well as Mei Siu Gei (played by Lee Hoi Sook).
Still, this is not to say that all of the other characters who are seen
in it (including a Macanese Mamasan, a Catholic nun, a couple of her Buddhist
counterparts together with a doctor that George Lam made a cameo appearance
as) are entirely superfluous to this involving offering’s main act and/or
story. Indeed, part of the genius of this extremely well crafted
work is how so many people plus so much detail got interwoven into a plot
whose chief attribute(s) may well be its being multi-stranded and -layered
yet never unwittingly confusing.
My rating for this film: 8.