This endearing romcom offers an interesting social realist study of Hong Kong life, but one perhaps more meaningful to local audiences…
At one point in Far Far Away, the main character, a young guy called Hau (Kaki Sham), makes an epic journey by bus and foot to reach a small, almost deserted village in a far-flung corner of Hong Kong countryside. He does so to pursue Lisa (Hanna Chan), a dreamy young woman he is interested in who for some reason has chosen to live in this out-of-the-way place.
When he finally gets there, a radiant Lisa shows him around and tells him all about her unusual life here. While the scene is interesting, I couldn’t help feeling it would be more meaningful and maybe funnier to those really familiar with Hong Kong, who can understand what it means for Hau to go to such lengths to get the girl.
This is typical of Far Far Away, the quirky romantic comedy and third feature film written and directed by Amos Why (Dot 2 Dot, Napping Kid). As with Why’s previous two films, it abounds in great shots of different parts of Hong Kong that go beyond the normal cliched images of the region. The film is steeped in observations about Hong Kong’s life and culture, as well as dating habits, in ways that might not translate so well to audiences outside of the region.
The film is endearing overall, and there is plenty to like here, particularly the more relaxed scenes where Hau sits and talks with the young women he dates. But it is somewhat let down by some slightly clunky dialogue and acting that never really makes you engage with the characters, as well as a lack of plot or dramatic tension. As a result, we never really care much whether Hau finally gets the girl.
From the opening credits, the action is centred on Hau, a geeky and introverted computer programmer who has an apartment full of Lego models and is desperate to find a new girlfriend. Despite giving Hau many voiceovers, we don’t get any real sense of who he is and what he is feeling about things. We follow him as he dates different young women, supported by his two sidekicks, the steady Tai-tung (Will Or) and an overly cool guy who goes by the English name of Jude Law (Yatho Wong).
Each of the girls that Hau dates tells him about their lives and the reasons they are living, as per the title of the film, so far far away from central Hong Kong. Some of these scenes are where the film is at its strongest are when the characters talk in a relaxed and natural way to each other. Why has a talent for this kind of social realism. In an especially nice scene, an old schoolmate Melanie (Jennifer Yu) brings Hau some food and they chat as she looks nosily around his apartment. Again, though, much of the talk in these scenes would likely be more meaningful to those very familiar with Hong Kong life.
Stylistically, Far Far Away seems quite similar to the Taiwanese film adaptations of Giddens Ko books, like You Are The Apple of My Eye and Café. Waiting. Love, mixing together softly lit, pastel-shaded romance with more comedic and jaunty elements. It also adds some distinctly Hong Kong elements. Overall the filmmaking feels quite hyperactive, continually shifting in tone between comedy and music video, with different graphics and labels almost continuously flashing up on the screen.
The film is arguably better when it dispenses with all the gimmicky onscreen graphics and quirky touches, slowing down to let the dialogue between the main characters breathe. It is in these parts that we get a glimpse of who Hau really is and how he might actually feel about the girls he is dating, when we see the natural chemistry between them and start to want them to actually get together. Because these scenes are so scarce, and nothing really seems to stand in the way of Hau getting together with the people he dates, there is not all that much dramatic tension or suspense to make us engaged with the story. We are left unsure what it is we are really rooting for as we watch Hau blunder his way through different dates.
Yet despite these drawbacks, Far Far Away is enjoyable enough and arguably worth watching if you want some insights into Hong Kong’s distinctive culture and the love lives of young people growing up in this distinctive and dynamic place.