bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Elizabeth Wong

A genius is often mistaken for a nut, until this nut is proven right. By the same token, innovation and creativity are often grown in the seedbed of a passionate mindset that dares to be different.
And daring is not a dirty word.
Take for instance Ten Years, winner of Hong Kong’s 35th Best Film Award. This film is not Hollywood. It’s not Bollywood. It’s a genre all its own.
And it is controversial: this means it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
Speaking as a film aficionado, I think the film’s five episodes symbolise freedom of thought in all its raw frankness.
To wit: the episode Dialect is about taxi drivers being required by law to speak Putonghua in 2025.
This fictional vignette puts the finger on the pulse as it highlights resentment towards being sidelined by a dialect which could make this city’s essentially Cantonese-speaking people feel like strangers in their own home.
Languages are important tools of communication.
In recent years, our linguistic environment has changed. People speak less English and more Putonghua. Yet both English and Putonghua are double Dutch to some of us.
The film’s dark political overtones and murky undertones of fear and frustration hold a mirror to this city
Reality tells us, however, multilingual proficiency provides better options in life and opens up job opportunities. Faced with this situation, many feel helpless and marginalised.
This disenfranchisement may be an indictment of our various policies over the years.
No matter what the whys and wherefores, the worst scenario is to pretend problems do not exist. Sweeping things under the carpet helps no one, not even the carpet sweep.
Thus, the film’s dark political overtones and murky undertones of fear and frustration hold a mirror to this city.
The fact Ten Years is acclaimed here but censored in mainland attests to the city’s freedom of thought under the “one country, two systems” principle.
Coincidentally , the recent global “smiling index” survey shows that this shoppers’ paradise has come drop-dead last.
Ever an optimist, I believe that to bring back the smiles we need to be honest with ourselves. If we dare to share and care, we shall be able to diagnose the problems’ root causes and apply the right remedy to redress the situation.
Say cheese ... click.
Elizabeth Wong Chien Chi-lien was secretary for health and welfare from 1990 to 1994 and a lawmaker from 1995 to 1997


Ten Years dares to be different – and daring is not a dirty word

A protest scene in the dystopian film Ten Years. Photo: AP

Opinion

The dystopian take on Hong Kong’s future highlights resentments in the city, and the worst thing we can do is pretend these problems do not exist


Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Opinion | Ten Years dares to be different – and daring is not a dirty word

The dystopian take on Hong Kong’s future highlights resentments in the city, and the worst thing we can do is pretend these problems do not exist