Dream, Journey, and Identity

Dream, Journey, and Identity Name Institution of Affiliation Dream, Journey, and Identity Based on the many films from Hong Kong cinema, it is undoubtedly true to say that the cinema is indeed more than just martial arts and action as it is widely perceived (Bordwell, 2000). Hong Kong cinema also has a good taste of drama movies with central themes of love, fantasy, journey, and self-discovery. That is to say, protagonists and other characters in these movies seem to have an anchorage of a big dream be it a “Hong Kong dream,” a “California dream,” or a “New York dream.” Most importantly, as time goes by, these characters endeavor to fashion new identities for themselves by opting to become a whole new and different person, visit a new borough, embrace or build a new relationship, or sink into the ocean of reminiscence for their former selves. For instance, in the film The Mermaid, a playboy entrepreneur in his journey to accomplish his dream of becoming a successful business tycoon, falls in love with a mermaid that was sent to assassinate him and ultimately discovers that money and wealth will not suffice his happiness. From an unexpected source, the entrepreneur finds his happiness in love and decides to create a whole new identity for himself. With reference to at least three films from different directors, this paper seeks to discuss ways through which lead characters such as Xuan in The Mermaid change, pursue dreams, cherish old relationships, or search for new identities while briefly commenting on each film’s stylistic characteristics applied by the directors. As mentioned earlier on, The Mermaid is a romantic drama film co-written and directed by Stephen Chow (2016). Chow employs several stylistic characteristics such as sound by using a theme song titled Invincible, written and composed by himself but performed by Deng Chao. The movie narrates a tale of a rich businessman named Xuan whose life takes an unanticipated turn when he falls in love with a mermaid called Shan. Xuan’s business ambitions land him in a new place known as Green Gulf unknown to them that it is inhabited by “merpeople”. Xuan unknowingly uses sonar technology to clear any marine life around the gulf in his sea reclamation project, which is killing the mermaids. The surviving mermaids seek refuge in an abandoned shipwreck where Shan is sent to kill Xuan hoping to end the project and allow the mermaids to safely return to the sea. Shan is a beautiful young mermaid who has learned to walk and dance like humans and thus able to blend with humans without being noticed. Therefore, she is chosen to seduce and kill Xuan in order to save their populace. However, the unexpected happens when Xuan and Shan fall in love leading to a “happily ever after”. In this film, it is clear how the themes of love, dream, journey, and identity depict themselves in these characters. For example, the film starts with Xuan’s love for money and wealth leads him to carelessly pursue his dream to riches without considering how his choices affect the environment negatively. His encounter with Shan changes his perspective as far as environmental conservation is concerned because he falls in love in the most mysterious ways only to realize that there is more to life than just money and wealth. He changes for the better and decides to make good use of his money by establishing a grant project to finance a study into environmental protection. Notably, Xuan’s encounter with Shan signifies his journey of self-discovery, which certainly made him take up his true identity and decided to change into a whole new person. Another intriguing film from Hong Kong cinema is a drama movie named Farewell China, directed by Clara Law (1990). Law uses several stylistic techniques including sound, cinematography, and editing to make the film more appealing in the eyes of the audience. The various cine...