Ooh, with the Christmas holidays I’ve watched too many films which also means too many reviews to catch up on. Well, they’re coming. Start with a film I just watched, My Name Is Fame.
My Name Is Fame (我è¦æˆå, Ngor Yiu Sing Ming)
Sean Lau Ching-Wan, Hou Siyan
Dir: Lawrence Ah Mon – 2006 – Hong Kong
Poon Ka-Fai (Lau Ching-Wan) is a washed up actor who was once awarded HK’s Best Newcomer award but whose popularity has since waned, not just on screen, but also down to frayed relationships with production crews he had worked with. On the way home from what appears to be his last shoot for a while, he is followed by one of the extras, an obsessed fan from mainland China called Faye (Hou Siyan) who is eager to break into the Hong Kong showbiz scene. As fate would have it, she manages to convince him to take her under his wing, to be her mentor and manager. Little do they know, the journey to stardom gives them both a lift into the limelight.
My Name Is Fame is a fairly humorous poke and homage at the same time to at the Hong Kong showbiz scene at the moment, particularly as it struggles with waning cinema-going and manufactured talent amidst the disillusionment of audiences with poor quality entertainment. (I’ll leave my rant about this aside!) However, it is an uplifting story of talent and success and what a bit of hard work will do. The industry is one in which its participants need to have persistence to succeed, and this film doesn’t hide that fact. There are plenty of scenes that show HK’s cinema machine in action much of it that shows it’s not an easy business to be in.
Lau Ching-Wan was clearly the perfect lead for this role. As a man who amazingly hasn’t yet been awarded a Hong Kong Film Award in reality and is surely overdue for one, I feel he has drawn a lot from experience to bring to his character, fictitious as it may be. There are indeed some joking references to his past work as well. At the same time, the inclusion of Hou Siyan was also interesting, as she was in fact a real life newcomer to HK cinema from China, although I thought it was a little annoying that her performance did have to be dubbed in the end. Cameos from a number of notable actors (Tony Leung Ka-Fei, the current HK Best Actor, Ekin Cheng), recent new talents (Fiona Sit, Niki Chow) and acclaimed directors (Gordon Chan, Ann Hui and Fruit Chan) make appearances which add to the strength of the storyline.
However, I doubt this film is going to give Lau Ching-Wan a best actor gong. The film isn’t emotionally strong enough to deliver that, particularly as it tries to deliver an upbeat ending. But its message is pertinent to the industry that it depicts and is a part of. It’s tough out there and there’s a change going on. But with some hard work and some nurturing of talent, it can get there.
One that might win your heart, but not an Oscar.
Update
Monday, April 16th, 2007Well, what do I know, Lau Ching Wan finally does win a Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor for his perfornance in this film. For more details see here.
Links:
IMDb entry for My Name Is Fame
Buy this film at YesAsia