Twilight’s Kiss 叔·叔
Hong Kong / 2019 / Colour / 92 mins / In Cantonese with English subtitles / Writer/Dir. Ray YEUNG
PAK is a hardworking taxi driver who refuses to retire. A grandfather in a family with strong social values and firm Confucius beliefs, he belongs in a striking snapshot of a conventional Hong Kong family. HOI, a retired and divorced Christian who lives with his only son and his family, struggles to find belonging in his own home.
PAK and HOI harbour the same secret - they are both gay. A chance encounter draws these two grandfathers together. Torn between love and tradition, they must choose what they ultimately want in the final years of their lives – their true yearning for each other or their traditional ‘happy’ family life.
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Ray Yeung's first feature film, CUT SLEEVE BOYS, premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2005. The film won Best Feature at the Outfest Fusion Festival in Los Angeles and Best Actor for Chowee Leow at the Madrid Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
Regent Releasing distributed CUT SLEEVE BOYS in the U.S. The movie was theatrically released in various cities across America including Chicago and Los Angeles. It was also released in cinemas in Thailand, Taiwan and the Philippines. The movie is available on Netflix in the US and UK; the DVD was released in France, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, United Kingdom and America.
Ray’s second feature, FRONT COVER premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival 2015, and was in Competition at the Chicago International Film Festival. It was the Closing Film for the Asian American International Film Festival in New York in 2016. FRONT COVER won Best Screenplay at the FilmOut San Diego LGBT Film Festival , Jury Award for Best Domestic Feature at the Outflix Film Festival in Memphis and Audience Award at the Boston Asian American Film Festival.
Strand Releasing is the distributor for FRONT COVER in North America. The film enjoyed a theatrical release in New York City, where the run was extended for two additional weeks. It was also released in Los Angeles, where the run was extended a second week. FRONT COVER then opened in San Francisco, Honolulu and Washington DC. The cinematic release in North America made FRONT COVER eligible to be considered for 2016 Best Picture at the 89th Academy Awards.
Sahamongkolfilm International Co, Ltd. released the movie in four cinemas in Bangkok for two weeks.
Edko Films released FRONT COVER in Hong Kong in both IFC Palace Cinema and Broadway Cinematheque. The film played for three months, including screenings during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Ray has also written and directed eight short films. YELLOW FEVER, which won Best Short at the Madrid Lesbian and Gay Film Festival and is being distributed by Frameline Distribution in the US and the British Film Institute in the UK. YELLOW FEVER is featured in a DVD compilation titled Asian Queer Shorts, distributed by Frameline Distribution. Other shorts include A BRIDGE TO THE PAST, which was commissioned by the London Arts Council and PAPER WRAP FIRE, which won Best Short at the New Hampshire Film Festival.
Ray has also directed two plays, which were staged in London and Hong Kong: BANANA SKIN, written by Ray, and THE THIRD SEX, written by his long-time collaborator Chowee Leow.
As director and art director for television commercials, Ray has worked for clients including 7-Eleven, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and HSBC.
Ray is a Columbia University MFA graduate. He is the Chairman of the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival since 2000, currently the longest running lesbian and gay film festival in Asia.
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Today in Hong Kong the LGBT community is generally more open and the society is more accepting of gay rights. However, older gay men have not been able to enjoy these changes due to their adherence to strict traditional cultural values and close family ties. From the viewpoint of the younger and more westernised generation, these men seem repressed, sad and lacking in the courage to be themselves.
Many of these older gay men, who had abandoned their own natures and desires to fulfil their duties as sons continuing the family name, have established close and rewarding blood ties to the families they created. Some of these ties might be full of tension and lacking warmth, but some are close with mutual respect and appreciation. For these men, the ‘love’ from their families is the only reward they had, their life’s ultimate goal and achievement. Therefore to ‘come out’ as an older man is a betrayal of their lives’ work and self-sacrifice.
Due to their individual circumstances, both Pak and Hoi have difficult decisions to make; Pak seems naive and hesitant at the beginning but slowly shreds his tentativeness until the final moment; Hoi seems self- assured on the outside but traditional and conservative when it comes to the church. Their apparent surface differences in experiences and attitudes hide a surprising similarity in values and views. The final question is whether they can embrace their true selves and fall in love or go back to the security, comfort and social acceptance of their families.
Suk Suk is essentially a love story about two men falling in love for the first time in their 70s. However, the film will portray the dilemmas these characters face and the struggles they encounter without judging their choices. The story shows the care and love they receive from their families, and why it is hard for them to be who they truly want to be.
On a more abstract level, the film examines the idea of ‘what is home?’ Does the concept of home only apply to families? Can it also apply to a place where one feels most ‘at home’ and comfortable? Where is home? Is it in the house you share with your immediate family? Or is it with like-minded people who share the same space without putting up any pretence?
In order to explore this concept of ‘home’, I have put the characters in different settings, to reflect and question where they feel most ‘at home.’ Take Pak, our main protagonist, for example. He lives with his wife for over 40 years and they have built a family together. He goes home for dinner every night and is ‘king of his own castle.’ However, he has hidden a secret from his wife throughout their lives together and never truly feels himself there.
Pak spends most of his life in his taxi. He treats his car like his home; it is the only place where he can truly be himself. The taxi is his sanctuary, his place of work and also his means to seek pleasure. So, is his taxi truly his home?
Hoi, the other main character, lives with his son, but there is a considerable emotional distance between them. The relationship is somewhat cold and there is an elephant in the room, which neither would ever address. Hoi’s son keeps asking his father to be a better Christian, maybe he hopes his father will return to God’s home and become free of sin and forgiven?
For Hoi he is possibly more relaxed with his friends at the Mature Tongzhi Society. Or perhaps when he is in the gay sauna where the men can be free for a short moment? The gay group raises the question of an old people’s home for gay men, is this the ideal home they all crave for?
Suk Suk intends to reflect the condition and explore the difficulties of these gay men; and open a dialogue with the public regarding their circumstances and needs.
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Best Original Screenplay at Taipei Golden Horse Awards 2019
Best Narrative Feature at Taipei Golden Horse Awards 2019
Best Leading Actor at Taipei Golden Horse Awards 2019
Best Leading Actor at Taipei Golden Horse Awards 2019
Best Supporting Actress at Taipei Golden Horse Awards 2019
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Busan International Film Festival 2019 (World Premiere)
Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival 2019 (Taiwan Premiere)
Berlin International Film Festival 2020 (Panorama selection)
