Hong Kong director Hui Nga Shu Rita, who has previously mainly dealt with women’s bodies and relationships, has made a comeback after a five-year absence. This is an impressive experimental documentary that goes back and forth between actual footage and fiction disregarding boundaries. Decameron begins with footage showing the British prime minister’s speech, “History is not just a matter of dates,” and cross-sectionally shows Hong Kong from the time of its return to China to its pro-democracy movement in 2019 and on through the current pandemic.
It shows that “normal life” in the past and present has become impossible with the appearance of modern suffering for Hong Kong citizens who are threatened by China and coronavirus. Hui asks critical questions about what Hong Kong will look like in the future and what Hong Kong truly is. [CHOONSAM, Cinefemme]