MAD WORLD (2017)

Genre: Drama
Running Length: 1:41
Cast: Shawn Yue, Eric Tsang, Elaine Jin, Charmaine Fong
Director: Wong Chun
Screenplay: Florence Chan

MAD WORLD (not to be confused with the famous HK comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World) is a difficult film to sit through not because it's bad. It's because of the subject matter that makes it uncomfortable and even at times, unbearable to watch. The film covers the subject matter of mental illness, living in a dysfunctional family and social illness in Hong Kong. Yes, this is depressing stuff.

The guy sitting next to me in the cinema was fidgeting throughout the movie and was constantly playing with his phone. Perhaps he thought he was expecting to watch a comedy (Eric Tsang!) or a romantic movie (Shawn Yue!) or maybe, just maybe, the story presented resonated with him and was getting under his skin.

This is an indie movie with strong performances throughout (except for Fong, who was trying too hard). Tsang and Jin deserve the Best Supporting Actor and Actress win at the recent 36th HK Film Awards. Although Elaine Jin was only in a few scenes, she definitely dominated every scene she was in.

Shawn Yue's dramatic performance here as a patient suffering from bipolar is very effective - he is retrained and thankfully didn't "go full retard". At some angles, he reminded me of a young Chow Yun-Fat.

I'm glad the filmmakers decided to highlight this topic of mental illness because not many people in this part of the world (Asia) really understand the challenges of a person who has mental health problems and the impact it has on their loved ones. As efficient Asians, we usually hope such "problems" will just quickly and conveniently go away, but it doesn't. At one point in the film, Tsang's character rightly sum it up, "Not everything can be outsourced".  

In conclusion, Mad World is not a perfect film (I get what the filmmakers were trying to convey during the church scene, but they need not demonize the faith) but nevertheless, it's a very brave film.

RATING: 8/10