Garden of Repose

Garden of Repose opens with the sale of the titular estate during the war. Its former owner, Yang Menchi (Bow Fong), is hopelessly addicted to drugs. Abandoned by loved ones, he is forced to sell the family property. The buyer, Yao Guodong (Ping Fan), is father to a spoiled, unruly child who pays little attention to his studies. Both men fail to escape their tragic fates, their destiny a heartfelt and bitter comment on the rot at the heart of the feudalistic family.

Screenwriter Xia Yan’s adaptation of Ba Jin’s novel was written with Hsia Moon in mind, shifting the story’s focus to the new mistress of the estate and focusing on the issue of education for children. Zhu Shilin’s subtle, understated direction superbly captures the original novel’s refined, melancholic tone. Both the original novel and its film adaptation highlight the warm, touching interactions between Mengchi and his daughter (a son in the novel), revealing an ambivalence of at once critical and cherishing of traditional Chinese culture. The film extends a concerted critique of feudalistic values by bolstering the role of the spoiled child’s grandmother while also highlighting the second wife’s challenge to the power establishment on behalf of her stepchild’s education. All the while, Zhu’s idealised portrayal of Hsia’s character as a positive force sets the stage for the glimmer of hope to emerge at the end.

2024 marks the 80th anniversary and the 60th anniversary of, respectively, the publication of Ba Jin’s novel and its film adaptation by Zhu Shilin. Our screening of this Sil-Metropole classic is dedicated to these two great artists.

Date	Time	Venue
24/8/2024 (Sat) [Full House] #	4:00pm	Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

# Post-screening talk with Matthew Cheng

The contents of the programme do not represent the views of the presenter. The presenter reserves the right to change the programme should unavoidable circumstances make it necessary.

Back to Film Screenings