Our Time Will Come (film)

Our Time Will Come
Theatrical release poster
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	明月幾時有
Simplified Chinese	明月几时有
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Míng Yuè Jǐ Shí Yǒu Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Ming4 Jyut6 Gei2 Si4 Jau5
Directed by	Ann Hui
Screenplay by	He Jiping
Produced by	Roger Lee Stephen Lam Ann Hui
Starring	Zhou Xun Eddie Peng Wallace Huo
Cinematography	Nelson Yu Lik-wai
Edited by	Mary Stephen
Music by	Joe Hisaishi
Production companies	Shanghai Bona Cultural Media Bona Entertainment Company Class Limited Distribution Workshop Entertainment Team Media Group Quidam Studios
Distributed by	Bona Film Group Limited China Lion Film Distribution Golden Village Pictures MM2 Entertainment
Release dates	June 21, 2017 (2017-06-21) (Shanghai Film Festival) July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01) (China)[1] July 6, 2017 (2017-07-06) (Hong Kong)
Running time	130 minutes
Countries	China Hong Kong
Languages	Cantonese Mandarin Japanese
Box office	63 million yuan (China)

Our Time Will Come (Chinese: 明月幾時有) is a 2017 war film directed by Ann Hui, starring Zhou Xun, Eddie Peng and Wallace Huo.^[2][3][4] It revolves around the resistance movement during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. The film opened in China on July 1, 2017 to commemorate and to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China. It was released in Hong Kong on July 6, and in the United States and Canada on July 7.

Synopsis

Set in the 1940s, the film tells the story of a legendary woman "Fang Gu" (Zhou Xun), who is one of the key figures during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. It also portrays the fight and struggle for freedom and independence by youths of the resistance groups. The story is narrated by an old taxi driver, being interviewed for a documentary, who speaks of the people he knew as a boy growing up under the Japanese occupation.

Fang Lan is an ordinary bookish young woman with a poetical streak who lives with her mother in 1942 Hong Kong. She is engaged to marry Lee Gam-wing (Wallace Huo), but breaks the engagement, citing his lack of concern about the fact that much of the population of Hong Kong is starving to death. Fang's mother rents rooms in her house to various intellectuals such as the writer Mao Dun. Learning that the Japanese are planning to execute much of the Hong Kong intelligentsia, the resistance is planning to smuggle the targeted intellectuals out to "Free China". Fang assists the resistance leader Blackie Lau (Eddie Peng) in helping Mao and his wife escape Hong Kong and in disposing of the corpse of the collaboratist spy Lau executed. Lee goes to the work for the poetry-loving Colonel Yamaguchi of the Kempeitai, the much feared Japanese military police. Despite his friendship with Yamaguchi who loves Tang poetry (a subject that Lee is an expert in) Lee sometimes assists the resistance.

Over the vehement opposition of her mother, Fang joins the resistance and becomes by 1944 the leader of its East Hong Kong section. Mrs. Fang wants her daughter to settle down as a wife and mother, roles that she rejects. Over time, Fang's mother comes to accept her as she is. Lau emerges as the most daring resistance leader in Hong Kong who constantly eludes the Kempeitai and its Chinese collaborators. A sort of love triangle emerges as Fang still has feelings for Lee while feeling attracted to Lau.

To assist Fang, her mother smuggles an important message, but is arrested by the Kempeitai. Fang and Lau lead an attack on the Kempeitai station to free her mother, which fails and Mrs. Fang is executed. Yamaguchi discovers that Lee was working for the resistance and tipped off Fang as to where her mother was being held. Yamaguchi has Lee killed. As Hong Kong has become too dangerous, Lau and Fang flee via junk at night; their ultimate fates are not revealed. A shot of Hong Kong at night in 1944 transforms into a shot of modern Hong Kong today. The elderly taxi driver who has been narrating the story of Fang breaks off his interview and goes back to his work as a humble taxi driver.

Cast

• Zhou Xun as Fang Lan/"Fang Gu"
• Eddie Peng as Liu Heizai/"Blackie" Lau
• Wallace Huo as Li Jinrong/"Wing"
• Paw Hee-ching as Mrs. Fang
• Jessie Li
• Tony Leung as Ben
• Guo Tao as Mao Dun
• Huang Zhizhong
• Jiang Wenli
• Alex Fong
• Ivana Wong
• Ray Lui
• Deanie Ip
• Sam Lee
• Eddie Cheung
• Stanley Fung
• Kingdom Yuen
• Suzuka Morita

Release

Our Time Will Come premiered on June 21, 2017 at the 2017 Shanghai International Film Festival. The film was originally announced during the 2017 Cannes Film Festival in May as the Shanghai festival's opening film, but its opening spot was replaced on June 9 by The Chinese Widow, directed by Bille August.^[5] Although no reason has been given by the festival, Clarence Tsui writing for the South China Morning Post assumed that this less to do with the content of Ann Hui's film and more to do with August's film, also set during World War II, being "an even better fit for China’s national narrative right now", having an acclaimed Danish director directing a romantic story between a local woman in the Zhejiang province and a US fighter pilot and being the first film completed after the signing of China and Denmark's co-production treaty on May 3.^[6]

Our Time Will Come was released in China on July 1, 2017 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China.^[7] The film was released on July 6, 2017 in Hong Kong.^[8]

The film was released in the United States and Canada by China Lion on July 7, 2017.^[9]

Reception

Critical response

Our Time Will Come has received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 94%, based on reviews from 17 critics, with an average rating of 7.4/10.^[10] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 82 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".^[11] The film was especially well reviewed in China, receiving a 83.6 points out of 100 in a report jointly released by China Film Archive and the entertainment researcher Entgroup.^[12] There was strong praise for Zhou Xun's performance.^[13]

Box office

The film has grossed 63 million yuan in China, surpassing the gross of Hui's 2014 film The Golden Era.^[14]

Awards and nominations

Award	Category	Recipients	Result
25th Beijing College Student Film Festival[15][16]	Best Actress	Zhou Xun	Won
	Jury Award	Our Time Will Come	Nominated
23rd Huading Awards[17]	Best Actor	Eddie Peng	Nominated
	Best Actress	Zhou Xun	Nominated
9th China Film Director's Guild Awards[18]	Best Film	Our Days Will Come	Nominated
	Best Actress	Zhou Xun	Nominated
37th Hong Kong Film Awards[19][20]	Best Film	Roger Lee, Stephen Lam, Ann Hui	Won
	Best Director	Ann Hui	Won
	Best Screenplay	Ho Kei-ping	Nominated
	Best Actress	Zhou Xun	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress	Deanie Ip	Won
	Best Cinematography	Nelson Yu	Nominated
	Best Film Editing	Mary Stephen, Kong Chi-leung	Nominated
	Best Art Direction	Man Lim-chung, Billy Li	Won
	Best Costume & Make Up Design	Man Lim-chung, Billy Li	Nominated
	Best Original Film Score	Joe Hisaishi	Won
	Best Sound Design	Tu Du-chih, Wu Shu-yao	Nominated
12th Asian Film Awards[21][22]	Best Director	Ann Hui	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor	Eddie Peng	Nominated
	Best Editing	Mary Stephen, Kwong Chi-leung	Nominated
	Best Original Music	Joe Hisaishi	Won
Shanghai International Film Festival	Best Actor	Eddie Peng	Nominated
		Wallace Huo	Nominated
	Best Actress	Zhou Xun	Nominated
54th Golden Horse Awards	Best Director	Ann Hui	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor	Tony Leung Ka-fai	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress	Deanie Ip	Nominated
	Best Original Film Score	Joe Hisaishi	Nominated
	Best Film Editing	Mary Stephen and Kong Chi-leung	Nominated
2nd Golden Screen Awards[23]	Best Supporting Actress	Deanie Ip	Won

References

1. "许鞍华《明月几时有》定档7月1日 献礼香港回归20周年 周迅彭于晏霍建华再现香江血性抗日传奇 – Mtime时光网". News.mtime.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
2. "周迅许鞍华首度携手 《明月》正式开机". Ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
3. "《明月几时有》彭于晏黑化 挑战动作戏". Ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
4. "霍建华加盟许鞍华新片《明月几时有》 搭档周迅演绎"战乱情侣"的虐恋情深 – Mtime时光网". News.mtime.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
5. Frater, Patrick (9 July 2017). "Shanghai Festival Completes Competition Lineup, Replaces Opening Film". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
6. Tsui, Clarence (16 June 2017). "Why Ann Hui's Hong Kong war film lost its opening slot at Shanghai festival". South China Morning Post. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
7. Tsui, Clarence (21 June 2017). "'Our Time Will Come' ('Ming Yuet Gei Si Yau'): Film Review | Shanghai 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media, LLC. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
8. Lee, Edmund (6 July 2017). "Top five films to see in Hong Kong this week (July 6–12), from Our Time Will Come to Spider-Man: Homecoming". South China Morning Post. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
9. China Lion Film [@chinalionfilm] (15 June 2017). "See the trailer for Ann Hui's new film OUR TIME WILL COME, opening July 7th in select theaters, here:" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 July 2017 – via Twitter.
10. "Our Time Will Come (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
11. "Our Time Will Come Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
12. "Ann Hui's latest film wins critical acclaim". China Daily.
13. "Review: A Guerrilla Is Born in Hong Kong in 'Our Time Will Come'". The New York Times. July 5, 2017. Archived from the original on 15 April 2024.
14. "艺恩娱数".
15. "Student film festival draws down the curtain". China Daily. May 7, 2018.
16. "第二十五届北京大学生电影节闭幕式暨颁奖典礼圆满落幕". Tencent (in Chinese). May 7, 2018.
17. "第23届华鼎奖提名：《战狼2》、《芳华》双雄逐鹿". Sina (in Chinese). March 20, 2018.
18. "电影导演协会2017年度入围名单揭晓 吴京入围最佳导演". ifeng (in Chinese). February 27, 2018.
19. "Hong Kong Film Awards nominations 2018: Ann Hui's Our Time Will Come leads race with 11 nods". South China Morning Post. February 6, 2018.
20. "Our Time Will Come wins five awards, including best film, at star-studded Hong Kong Film Awards". South China Morning Post. April 15, 2018.
21. "Asian Film Awards 2018 nominations". South China Morning Post. January 11, 2018.
22. "Asian Film Awards: 'Youth' Wins Top Prize From 'Demon Cat'". Variety. March 17, 2018.
23. "Golden Screen Awards: China's 'This Is Not What I Expected' Takes Top Honor". The Hollywood Reporter. October 29, 2017.

External links

• Ming Que Ji Shi You at IMDb
• Our Time Will Come at Box Office Mojo