- Ron Holwerda, director
The subject of this documentary was born in Guangzhou, China -- in 1948, according to this work (though Wikipedia is among the sources that lists his year of birth as 1947). And early in this Acton Institute production, an interviewee says of Jimmy Lai that: "He's Chinese. He loves being Chinese."
Meanwhile, something that goes unmentioned in The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai's Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom is that Jimmy Lai has British citizenship. I wonder whether this was deliberate or an oversight. In any case, I must admit to finding this omission rather strange; this not least because I think this fact would add to Jimmy Lai's overall tale rather than detract from it. And would not take anything away from his being a Hong Konger (and Chinese).
When he was 12 years old, Jimmy Lai decided to stow away on a boat to Hong Kong. Upon arrival, he went to work as a child laborer in a garment factory. Having left China for the then British colony, he found both freedom and fortune in the city that he came to call home and has never left -- even when many people urged him to do so (to ensure his personal safety and avoid the fate that the Chinese authorities have long sought for him).
On August 20th, 2020, Jimmy Lai was arrested on the charge of "foreign collusion". In December of that year, he was arrested again and charged under the National Security Law that China imposed on Hong Kong. Denied bail that time around, he has been behind bars ever since. But not forgotten. Something that the people behind The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai's Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom -- some of whom are Jimmy Lai's personal friends (including Acton Institute co-founder Robert Sirico); two of whom (Mark Simon and Simon Lee) are his former employees; a few of whom are Hong Kong activists in exile (like Joey Siu, Sunny Cheung and Samuel Chu); and many of whom are senior political figures (none more so than Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong) -- are seeking to ensure stays so.
When viewing this slickly made work, I found myself wondering how many of those others who have seen it had heard of Jimmy Lai before they viewed it. To be sure, in Hong Kong, his is a household name (as is that of the clothing chain he founded, Giordano, and the pro-democracy newspaper he established, Apple Daily). But while this documentary is about a Hong Konger, I get the distinct sense that -- unlike with, say, Kiwi Chow's protest documentary, Revolution of Our Times -- its primary target audience isn't actually Hong Kongers; and this not just because the film is in English (rather than Cantonese) either.
Something else that I definitely get the sense -- and not just because of the names I saw in the end credits either -- is that this film is (primarily) made by non-Hong Kongers. As a result, some factual mistakes can be made (or facts glossed over): including a map and potted history of Hong Kong that divides the territory into Hong Kong Island and the New Territories, with Kowloon not rating a mention; and 2019 protest footage being shown when the 2014 "Occupy" phase of the Umbrella Movement was being discussed.
It may seem like I'm being nitpicky. But when making a film like this one (which has a specific agenda -- to free Jimmy Lai -- and might be described as a propaganda piece even if its messages are ones that I agree with for the most part), I think that little mistakes provide can cast doubt on other facts and sections of the presentation. Which, frankly, is a pity -- because the story of Jimmy Lai is one that is very much worth learning about, and his plight is one that should concern those who value and appreciate freedom even half as much as he does.
A business tycoon but also a political activist -- of whom Chris Patten said is "not always right but extremely brave" -- Jimmy Lai wanted democracy and freedom for Hong Kongers (and -- actually this is what made the authorities over in Beijing most angry -- Mainland Chinese people too). And he was willing to give money and put his body on the line for this -- unlike the majority of Hong Kongers of his socio-economic station.
Something which The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai's Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom points out -- and absolutely is worth noting though -- is that he insisted on peaceful protest. There are some who might fault him for doing so. But I, for one, actually think that this makes him deserve to be free all the more. Along with all those other of Hong Kong's political prisoners who love Hong Kong so very much and have sacrificed so much for it already.
My rating for this film: 7.5
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