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Cast:
Ma
Xiao Qian
Zhai
Tian Lin
Yu
Wen Tian
Zhang
Si Hui
Sun
Qi
Producer:
Johnnie
To
Charles
Heung
Tiffany
Chen
Director:
Chan
Kin-Chung
Score:
  
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MEMORY
OF THE YOUTH
AKA:
N/A
Year:
2004 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
After
finding a violin that clearly belongs to one of the pupils at
her school, assertive tomboy Fang resolves to find the owner.
Her search is ended when proud aspiring musician Yao claims
the missing article and shows his appreciation for Fang's
efforts. As the two begin to spend more and more time
together, a genuine friendship begins to blossom - much to the
amusement of the 'gang' they spend time with. While Fang
constantly clashes with her mother - especially when rumours
of a very premature arranged marriage begin to surface - Yao
offers his new friend the support and protection she needs.
When Fang's home life continues to put pressure on her, she
runs away and hides in the abandoned boat that has become
Yao's den. The locals search far and wide for the missing
girl, but Yao determines to save up for a boat ticket to
Europe so that Fang can be reunited with her father.
Taking
its cues from the vast pantheon of films detailing the
innocence of youth, 'Memory Of The Youth' is a cheery and
engaging addition to the lists. Thankfully a million miles
away from the 'Cheaper By The Dozen' school of children's
films, Chan Kin-Chung's production focuses on a group of
youngsters though older audiences will probably find even more
enjoyment from it. 'Memory Of The Youth' belongs to the
subtle, character-driven youth pieces that every film industry
has tried their hand at; as with 'Kes' and '400 Blows', the
intention of the makers is to examine certain aspects of
childhood though the target audience is perhaps intended to be
more mature.
'Memory
Of The Youth' is undemanding film-making that tackles issues
that may seem to trivial to some directors, but are lovingly
detailed by Chan Kin-Chung. The narrative is therefore mainly
centred around the filial relationship that develops between
Fang and Yao, the trials and tribulations they face and the
journey they share through childhood. While this is a mostly
successful move, there are a few questions about the execution
of these ideals. The primary reason that a good film isn't
elevated to a great one is the problematic characterisation of
the adult players in the story. Naturally this is a production
that is keen to explore its younger characters, but there
still seems to be a real lack of explanation for some of the
incidents and reactions. The parents of Fang are inadequately
drawn, leaving a few necessary questions unanswered. For
example, when Fang runs away from home there seems to be very
little urgency in the local community to actually find her.
Although her mother is guilty of attempting to marry off her
very young daughter, it never seems like she is the dreadful
ogre that would justify Fang's triumphant journey to Europe
which closes the film.
Despite
some of these holes in logic, the acting of the two young
leads does just enough to help alleviate any distraction. Ma
Xiao Qian is outstanding as Fang, a role that demands her to
be tough, outspoken and yet have moments of vulnerability.
Even though her youthful leading man is accomplished, Ma walks
away with the acting honours and gives some indication of the
talents she undoubtedly has. It's always an encouragement that
many Hong Kong films try to avoid roles for children that rely
on emotional manipulation, but it is hoped that there continue
to be challenging roles for young performers of Ma's calibre.
Overall
there's much to enjoy in 'Memory Of The Youth'. It has its
weaknesses and the aforementioned lack of consistency, but
there's still enough here to warrant a viewing. It's always
good to see a film about children with enough depth and
maturity to appeal to everyone; certainly a cut above the
deluge of 'wisecracking' kids that Hollywood forever forces
upon us.
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