''The Way We Are'' (天水圍的日與夜) is a 2008

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Hon ...

and starring

Paw Hee-Ching A paw is the soft foot-like part of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that has claws. Common characteristics The paw is characterised by thin, pigmented, keratinised, hairless epidermis covering subcutaneous collagenous and adipose tissue, w ...

, Chan Lai-wun, Leung Chun-lung and

Idy Chan Idy Chan Yuk Lin (born 25 March 1960) is a popular Hong Kong TV actress, especially during the 1980s and was named as one of the Five Beauties of TVB. Career She joined showbiz in 1977. She is most famous for her portrayal of three of the char ...

Plot

Paw Hee-Ching and Leung Chun-lung play a mother and son who live in

Tin Shui Wai New Town Tin Shui Wai New Town is a satellite town in the northwestern New Territories of Hong Kong. Originally a ' fish pond area, it was developed in the 1980s as the second new town in Yuen Long District and the eighth in Hong Kong. It is due nort ...

. Paw works in the local supermarket while Leung is a Form 5 student who is waiting for his

HKCEE The Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE, 香港中學會考) was a standardised examination between 1974 and 2011 after most local students' five-year secondary education, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment ...

results during summer holiday. Paw meets Chan Lai-wun as she is hired at the supermarket, and begins to help her out. Chan wants to buy a television set but is discouraged by the delivery fee. Paw asks Leung to come to the electrical store to help carry it to Chan's flat, saving her the transport fee. Chan returns the favour by giving Paw a bag of expensive Chinese mushrooms. Paw's mother falls sick and Leung visits her in the hospital with his cousin. Their grandmother demands

swallow's nest The Swallow's Nest ( uk, Ластівчине гніздо, , russian: Ласточкино гнездо, ), ) in Ukrainian, ''Schwalbennest'' in German, and (''Qarılğaç yuvası'') in Crimean Tatar., group="nb" is a decorative castle locate ...

congee Congee or conjee ( ) is a type of rice porridge or gruel eaten in Asian countries. It can be eaten plain, where it is typically served with side dishes, or it can be served with ingredients such as meat, fish, seasonings and flavourings, most o ...

. Through her deceased daughter, Chan has a grandson who lives with her son-in-law, who has since remarried. Chan purchases gifts for them and goes with Paw to meet them in

Shatin Sha Tin, also spelt Shatin, is a neighbourhood along Shing Mun River in the eastern New Territories, Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District. Sha Tin is one of the neighbourhoods of the Sha Tin New Town project. The ne ...

, but her grandson does not show up and her gifts are rejected by her son-in-law. She gives them to Paw instead, who agrees to safeguard them for the time being. While running an errand for his mother Leung runs into his school teacher (Idy Chan). She invites him to help out at the school as a student counsellor when he returns for Form 6 and he duly agrees. Paw's two younger brothers are doing well in life, thanks to Paw's financial support during their university years overseas. One of them, played by

Clifton Ko Clifton Ko (; born 6 August, 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, actor, producer and scriptwriter. Background Clifton Ko graduated from Kwun Tong Maryknoll College, and entered TV and film industry in late 1970s, firstly worked with director C ...

, talks to Leung and promises he and his younger brother will support him financially to study overseas if he so desires. He replies that he will decide after seeing his HKCEE results. At the end of the movie, Paw, Leung and Chan are seen happily having dinner together in Tin Shui Wai as Leung has received satisfactory results in his exam and can continue on to Form 6.

Critical reception

The film received great critical acclaim. According to Perry Lam of ''Muse'', "''The Way We Are'' is a great film in a small way and, in its tribute to the resilience of life, serves as an apt, shining metaphor for the filmmaking career of Hui herself."

Awards and nominations

28th

Hong Kong Film Awards The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, ac ...

* Won: Best Director (

) * Won: Best Screenplay (Lou Shiu Wa) * Won: Best Actress (

) * Won: Best Supporting Actress (Chan Lai Wun) * Nominated: Best Film * Nominated: Best New Performer (Juno Leung) 15th

Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards The Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards () are the annual awards given by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in Hong Kong since 1994. The awards are determined by votes cast in three rounds after a substantial discussion session between the mem ...

* Won: Best Film * Won: Best Director (

) * Won: Best Actress (

)

References

External links

The 32nd Hong Kong International Film Festival

Hong Kong Movie DataBase

Hong Kong Cinemagic

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Way We Are, The Hong Kong films 2008 films Films directed by Ann Hui 2000s Cantonese-language films Tin Shui Wai

Plot

Critical reception

Awards and nominations

See also

References

External links