G Affairs is a 2018 Hong Kong thriller that pieces together a letter-based mystery after a severed woman’s head rolls into an apartment complex.
From Fantasia Festival 2019: G Affairs plays a bit like one of those interconnected stories of many curious characters all coming together by its end. Its title can be interpreted in two ways: literally where each chapter starts with the letter G; or in the literal Chinese, Mandarin pronunciation of chicken, which in Cantonese is common for prostitutes. Not only does the title highlight two meanings but the story itself is divided with one being Hong Kong’s post 2014 Umbrella Movement and another about parent and youth expectations. Themes of good or bad and tragic or lucky are everywhere. This is a directorial debut for Cheuk Pan Li and yet, there is a sturdy maturity to his execution and imagery. Choosing to give a rebirth of sorts to Category III films – equivalent to a hard R rating – also deserves praise as Hong Kong films have long moved more toward wider markets.
The story is portrayed as a scrambled timeline taking place in the present with parts of the past that eventually link all the characters together. No doubt, this a trendy style as, if done right, big finales can be well hidden in all the little details. However, when it isn’t, things can be confusing. It’s a test for any audience to make sense of it all and that’s where we are here in determining whether that finale is far-fetched or logical. G Affairs, other than stretching the use of the ‘G’ vocabulary a little far, keeps things a bit on rails, but does a good job not revealing too much. This is a compelling story that juggles a lot yet balances well the plots and characters despite some setbacks.
To be fair, just how The ABCs of Death might feel an odd experience, G Affairs pushes things far but still remains fairly clever with its five chapters. It can be provocative at times with its exploration of people in society both as a result of the 1997 Handover, including morals and ethics behind the scenes as well as the stereotypes that fuel division, whether that be origin, age, or profession.
It’s hard to pinpoint how well G Affairs will play to the general public. It embeds itself in a lot of local Hong Kong social debate and to connect better with the material will need a certain level of understanding between the conflicting point of views after the 1997 Handover, as well as the post 2014 Umbrella Movement and what it means for the people living there. However, Cheuk Pan Li gives this plenty of visual appeal and while the letter ‘G’ is used a little bit too frequently and stories move too fast, it’s clever enough and mixes well references and music to make it a solid pick.