This realist tragicomedy is a microcosm of wartime Hong Kong where life is full of strange absurdities. It mirrors as well the close interactions between Hong Kong and Guangzhou in the 1930s and 40s. In the film, a twist of fate brings some working-class folks under the same roof – a dirt-poor man with many mouths to feed, two itinerant singers, a money-grubbing landlady, and a prostitute. Their encounter with Cheung, a kind, optimistic and educated woman, ignites their concern for the common good, as they become more selfless to each other in times of hardship. Central to the plot is the patriotic move taken by the poor man who, disillusioned with Hong Kong's realities, goes back to serve the motherland. An entire decade earlier than director Lee Tit's classic In the Face of Demolition (1953) which champions the very spirit of "One for All".

Guest Commentator: Wong Ain-ling
# To follow with seminar. See "Seminar"

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