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Competition|Special Programs < Special Focus on Hong Kong 2022 >

Mama’s Affair

阿媽有咗第二個

Director: Kearen PANG (彭秀慧)

2022|Hong Kong|127min|Language: Cantonese|Subtitles: English, Japanese

Date Time Venue
3/12 Sat 13:50 *Sold Out Cine Libre Umeda 4
3/15 Tue 18:20 ABC Hall
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Starring
Teresa MO Shun Kwan (毛舜筠)
KEUNG To (姜濤)
Jer LAU Ying Ting (柳應廷)
Synopsis

MEI-FUNG (Teresa MO Shun Kwan) was once a top artiste manager and helped produce some of the biggest stars for her record label but she quit when she got pregnant. After years of living as a housewife, distance has grown between herself and her husband and her 17-year-old son HIN is about to study abroad, and this prompts her to re-enter the entertainment world. It’s impossible at first but a chance encounter with CHING, a delivery boy at a local cafe, introduces her to a talented singer and he reignites Mei-fung’s spark. With her connections and his raw talent, the public soon fall in love with him but as her career rises again, her son Hin only sees a caring mother become a career-driven stranger, a feeling furthered when their family falls apart and Ching enters the scene and a rivalry develops between Hin and Ching…

Following her debut “29+1”, which won the OAFF2017 Audience Award, writer/director PANG returns to Osaka with her sophomore feature which is led by veteran actress Teresa MO, rising singers/actors KEUNG To and Jer LAU Ying Ting.

[Jason MAHER]

Director's Message

In the past couple of years, a “star-chasing” fever has re-emerged in Hong Kong, so much so that even the celebrities’ manager has become the center of attention. As an artiste manager, she not only has to manage the artistes’ public image, but also their personal and emotional issues – not dissimilar to a mother-and-son relationship.

What if said artiste manager is also a mother? Could she ever find the balance between family and work, and between her children and her artistes? On the other hand, would her children ever feel jealous of someone else taking away their mother’s love and attention? I had the opportunity to get up close with such manager and her artistes, and that served as my story’s starting point.

Most of my previous films or theater work are about women, and this film is no exception. It revolves around a single mother coming to terms with her divorce, but two young men – her son and her artiste – also share much weight. In real life, they are stars that shine on stage. But in this film, their debut no less, they play roles that are vastly different from their real-life background and personality. I hope the audience will get to see the potential in them.

On the surface, this is a story about family, but what I really want to explore is loneliness. Each of the three main characters has to deal with sudden changes in life, and they must each take a look into their innermost feelings including frustration and abandonment. Some may resort to anger, some may run away, some may lie to themselves. Ironically, while chasing for self-assurance from other people, they tend to hide their rawest, truest feelings from the ones closest to them.

Gains and losses are relative. No one is perfect, and no matter who we are, we all face dilemmas in different stages of life. Making tough choices is part of the process, but just like one of the film’s dialogues: “Only when we get to choose, do we understand nothing good comes easy and learn to treasure.”

Director: Kearen PANG (彭秀慧)