This documentary is released at the perfect timing as hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong youngsters camp in the streets of Hong Kong demanding self-determination of their future.
For a long time, young people in Hong Kong have been classified into different categories according to their academic achievements. Those who make it have a better chance to go upward in the social ladder and become successful in their adult life. Those who cannot meet certain criteria are labeled as less achieved and develop insecurity and hence denied in many areas. The political situation in Hong Kong make the whole scenario even more complicated.
The documentary highlighted the coming of age struggles of nine adolescents, who are generally considered marginal by our society, amid 80 who were chosen to take part in an amateur musical. Among the nine youngsters, there is a blind girl and a boy who is going to be blind, a rebellious street-smart smoker, an insecure girl who feels ashamed to study in a less famous school etc. All of them, with whatever obstacles they are fighting against, have dreams of their own. Thanks to L Plus H Foundation, a social enterprise who funded the production, these students have a chance to step outside their mundane routine and take up a challenge not only in performing arts but also a self-reflecting and discovering process.
From the day when they were chosen and roles assigned, we witness how their self-perception and interaction with the world evolved. Growing up can be eye-opening and self-revelating but it also involve lots of effort, for both the kid and the people around them.
While you may say we can readily be moved by these young people's experience, I am more touched by the dedicated adults who inspire and push them patiently: the headmaster, the creative director, the music teacher, the dance teacher and musical director. They used insurmountable patience and care to train these kids' performing skills and more importantly, their characters, in five months. They help to restore their confidence and reset their discipline with encouragement and determination. I think the adults deserve louder applause as they have transmitted some very important values to the young people which they can hold on for a long time.
Lots of sincerity from the director and the production company. We can see they really care for the younger generation and guide them to walk their own way. They believe in the kids who struggle to believe in themselves. In the end, the youngsters discover that they too can have a future in their own way.
Turning to the streets of Hong Kong, could we give more slack to our next generation? Looking at the young protesters in Admiralty， Mongkok,and Causeway Bay I wonder who inspire them while admiring their persistence in trying to build a future they can take charge of. It is disheartening what the government and establishment have been doing to discredit their passion. If these adult could have learnt a fraction of the mentors and coaches in this documentary, our society could have been a much better and hopeful place.
Moving for all parents, teachers and adults who care for our next generation. Bring tissue paper. Great arrangement by the director who intertwined the training, rehearsals and interviews with kids, coaches, teachers, parents and headmistresses. It seems we are also growing with the kids and feeling more confident of ourselves at the end of the production. Encouragement and more patience are what they need and you will be amazed to see what a little push would do to them.
