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Starring
:
Lau
Ching Wan
Alice
Lau
Yip
Tsun
Lee
Fung
Producer
:
Michael
Mak
Katie
Chan
Director
:
Lee
Gwok Laap
Chiu
Aau Chong
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SEA
ROOT (1995)
Reviewed
by Andrew Saroch
Root
(Lau Ching Wan) is the humble and hard-working son of a boat
family who earn their living through the fishing trade. The
quiet worker is content to stay on the boat and immerse
himself in his work and the distant world of old television
programmes. When Root's disabled mother cannot cope any longer
with her workload, the fisherman and his cousin Big Clam are
sent to China to buy a woman who can help out on the boat.
There they encounter a vivacious and excited woman named Lotus
who eagerly volunteers herself for the trip back to Hong Kong
so that she can live the life she had always dreamed of.
Lotus' dreams are unsurprisingly shattered when the glamour
she expects is replaced with the harsh realities of her work.
However, as time passes she finds herself forming a friendship
with the constantly bullied Root and slowly draws him out of
his shell. Lotus also begins to see that although her own
visions of Hong Kong life were very different from the truth,
Root's own reality is painfully fragile. It therefore becomes
her goal to help him beat his insecurities and fully develop
as an individual.
For
a film industry that is mainly known for its eye-popping,
trend-setting action, Hong Kong also continues to produce
thoughtful, subtle film-making as well. The exploration by
many local directors of the introverted, yet good-hearted
characters that few other cinematic industries spend much time
focusing on is again brought out in this very encouraging
production. As with other films such as 'Anna
Magdalena', 'Lost
And Found' and 'Sealed
With A Kiss', 'Sea Root' is engrossing due to its
simplicity and the hidden warmth of its main characters.
Without falling back on the all-too-easy stylistic tricks that
some directors utilise, the directorial team known as 'Art
Concept Creative Group' lets the story run its course in a
pleasantly gentle manner. However undemanding this may seem
though, 'Sea Root' still has deeper issues to bring to light
for those who care to look for them.
Lau
Ching Wan is simply stunning in the role of Root, putting so
much delicate charm and humility in his part that it's
impossible for the viewer not to empathise with him. This is
another superb addition to Lau's ever-growing list of
impressive performances and just on this strength alone this
is a firm cinematic recommendation. Coupled with him is Alice
Lau who really gives one of the best efforts in her career as
the perky Lotus. Both stars are reason enough to watch.
'Sea
Root' is not without its flaws; the pace of change near the
end is out of keeping with the opening hour which means that
some of the qualities are dulled. The film also suffers from
the over-use of some awkwardly placed Canto-pop that is too
distracting from the powerful actors on display. Thankfully
this is not too prevalent though and there is still so much to
enjoy here.
Rating:
 
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