Band Four offers up much music, and love -- including for Hong Kong (Film review)

  

The poster for Band Four which 

features the Lion Rock on it

 

Band Four (Hong Kong, 2023)

- Mo Lai Yan-chi, director and scriptwriter

- Starring: Kay Tse, Teddy Robin Kwan, Anna HissbuR, Rondi Chan

 

More than 10 Hong Kong movies were screened at the 2023 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival (which opened on October 13th).  Despite having local distributors with the connections to the fest's co-presenters, Band Four was not among the HKAFF's offerings.  This can be seen as a sign that the film was not considered fest worthy.  Coupled with its theatrical release date taking place in the first week that the fest was taking place, I think it got deprived of a good percentage of its potential audience!

 

For my part, I only turned my attention to this movie after the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival officially concluded (on November 12th).  By this time, Band Four had ended its run in one of the cinemas I usually like to go to -- but, fortunately, was still playing in some other venues around town.  I say "fortunately" because: yes, having finally done so, I genuinely am glad that I caught this cinematic offering that its co-producer (and leading man), Teddy Robin Kwan, revealed had been eight years in the making due to difficulties in finding investors willing to take a chance on a musical drama.    

 

Band Four stars Cantopop singer Kay Tse as Kat, a singer, composer, band leader and parental figure to a drums obsessed preteen named Riley (played by Rondi Chan).  Early on in the film, she loses her beloved mother to cancer.  And it's only after her funeral that her father, King (portrayed by entertainment veteran Teddy Robin Kwan), turns up -- late -- and with a step-sister (Matilda; played by indie music singer Anna HissbuR, making her film debut) that Kat didn't know that she had.           

 

Gradually, the story of the fractured family gets revealed; and involves King having abandoned Kat and her mother, his band, music, and Hong Kong years before -- and moved across the Hong Kong-Mainland China border for a life as a cook that didn't seem all that happy either.  Now he's back in Hong Kong though -- and also determined to be back in Kat's life.  And thanks to Kat never having changed the lock of their apartment, he's moved back in -- with Matilda in tow -- and over Kat's objection. (Riley seemed sanguine about it though!)

 

Family drama is just one thing that Kat has to deal with.  Another is her band falling apart.  And then's the matter hinted at early on: of her having inherited a certain delibitating disease from her mother.  Clearly, fortune has not smiled much on Kat.    

Still, she not only soldiers on but also has been blessed in certain ways: with a love of music and talent for making it.  And Riley, who shares her love of music and talent for making it in spades.  (Rondi Chan, another individual making his feature film debut, holds his own among the established likes of Kay Tse and Teddy Robin Kwan.  And Anna HissbuR is quietly charismatic in a role that is the least showy of Band Four's main quartet.)

 

Speaking of love: this is a movie whose makers clearly really f**king love Hong Kong (and clearly express it in the film's theme song, If You Don't Remember).  And while you don't have to be a lover of the local music scene to love Band Four, you'll not only be able to enjoy its musical component more but, also, the presence in its cast of such as record producer-singer-songwriter Hanjin Tan, singer-songwriter Manson Cheung (AKA Mansonvibes), theatre actor-composer-musician Chu Pak-him  and violinist Choi Tsz-ching if you do!

My rating for this film: 7.5