Fagara (film)

Fagara (Chinese: 花椒之味; Jyutping: faa1 ziu1 zi1 mei6) is a 2019 Hong Kong family drama film written and directed by Heiward Mak, adapted from Hong Kong chick lit writer Amy Cheung's novel ngo5 dik1 oi3 jyu4 ci2 maa4 laat6 (我的愛如此麻辣).The film is distributed by Media Asia Film and produced by Ann Hui and Julia Chu, starring Sammi Cheng, Megan Lai and Li Xiaofeng.

Fagara
Directed byHeiward Mak
Produced byAnn Hui
Julia Chu
Screenplay byHeiward Mak
Based on我的愛如此麻辣 by Amy Cheung
StarringSammi Cheng
Megan Lai
Li Xiaofeng
Music byYusuke Hatano
CinematographyYip Shiu Kei
Edited byHeiward Mak
Chung Siu-hong
Production
company
Media Asia Film
Emperor Motion Pictures
Beijing Lajin Entertainment
Dadi Film
Distributed byMedia Asia Film
Release date
  • September 6, 2019 (2019-09-06) (China)
  • September 12, 2019 (2019-09-12) (Hong Kong)
Running time
118 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguageCantonese
Mandarin

Plot

After her father died, a Hong Kong girl discovers she has two hitherto unknown sisters, one in Taiwan and one in China. To settle her father's debt, she must reunite with them to run the family's hot pot restaurant. While the androgynous Taiwan sister is plagued by her toxic relationship with her mother, the fashionista sister from China is trying to fend off her grandmother's pressure to get married. Meanwhile, she is striving to unshackle herself from her ex-boyfriend in order to start a new relationship.[1]

Cast
  • Sammi Cheng as Acacia, a travel agent
    • Leung Wing as young Acacia
  • Megan Lai as Branch, a professional pool player
  • Li Xiaofeng as Cherry, a fashion vlogger
  • Richie Jen as Choi Ho-san, an anaesthetist
  • Kenny Bee as Ha Leung, owner of a hot pot restaurant
  • Andy Lau as Kwok Tin-yan, Acacia's ex-boyfriend
  • Liu Juei-chi as Chang Ya-ling, Branch's mother
  • Wu Yanshu as Liu Fang, Cherry's grandmother
  • Siuyea Lo as Radish, a worker at the hot pot restaurant
  • Bryant Mak as Sweet Potato, a worker at the hot pot restaurant
  • Kaki Sham as real-estate agent
  • Ben Yuen as Brother Yung, funeral parlor agent
  • Yeung Yi-yi as dish-washing grandmother
  • Tam Tin-bo as cashier
  • Lo Pei-an as Branch's father
  • Sunjet Wang as Branch's brother
  • Judy Hsu as Branch's sister
  • Pipi Yao as Branch's fan
  • Joman Chiang as Acacia's mother

Reception

Critical reception for the film was mostly positive, with critics and audience praising Mak's storytelling and the performance of the cast, especially Cheng's. Edmund Lee of South China Morning Post gives the film a 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "an astonishingly assured return to form for director Heiward Mak, and already a front-runner for next year’s Hong Kong Film Awards".[2]

The Hollywood Reporter's Elizabeth Kerr commends writer-director Mak for her work, writing: "It would all be treacly, weepy nonsense were Mak not to maintain a light touch, and, especially, if the three leads weren’t so engaging."[3] Commenting on the performances of cast, Scott Marks of the San Diego Reader writes that Fagara "is a film told from a feminist point-of-view by three smart, strong, and self-reliant actresses who bring plausibility to their characters."

Richard Yu of The Cinema Escapist calls it a "touching family drama", but suggests that "the story and characters would have received a more in-depth treatment in the form of a multi-part television series instead of a two hour movie".[4] Similarly, Richard Gray writing for The Reel Bits awards the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it an "excellent character-based drama that never falls into the trap of sentimentality."[5]

Awards and nominations
Award Category Recipients Result Ref(s)
26th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award Best Actress Sammi Cheng Nominated [6]
39th Hong Kong Film Awards Best Film Fagara Nominated [7]
Best Director Heiward Mak Nominated
Best Screenplay Heiward Mak Nominated
Best Actress Sammi Cheng Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Megan Lai Nominated
Best Cinematography S.K. Yip Nominated
Best Art Direction Cheung Siu-hong Won
Best Costume Make Up Design Cheung Siu-hong Nominated
Best Sound Design Tu Duu-Chih, Chiang Yi Chen Nominated
Best Original Film Score Yusuke Hatano Nominated
Best Original Film Song "Say It" by Sammi Cheng Nominated
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References
  1. Fagara (Huajiao zhiwei) (2019), retrieved 2019-10-18
  2. "Fagara: Sammi Cheng in one of 2019's best Hong Kong films". South China Morning Post. 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  3. "'Fagara' ('Huajiao zhiwei'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  4. Yu, Richard (2019-09-13). "Review: "Fagara" Is a Touching Family Story…and Subtle Political Allegory". Cinema Escapist. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  5. Gray, Richard (2019-09-11). "Review: Fagara". The Reel Bits. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  6. "Film Critics". www.filmcritics.org.hk (in Chinese). Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  7. "香港電影金像獎". 香港電影金像獎. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
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