Lunar New Year "Holiday" Films โ ่ณๆญฒ็
It wasn't until having kids, that I started noticing (and appreciating!!) all the little things about my own culture and upbringing.
Yesterday, I was reminded of this movie from my childhood from a random post on social media: ๐ฌ ๅฆๅๅฆๅๆฐๅนด่ฒก
It's been a long time since I last watched it, but I remember it being really good, not in the "sophisticated" award-winning way (though it may have actually won some awards), but it was just so fun to watch! It then made me explicitly notice this cultural thing that happens around Lunar New Year: ่ณๆญฒ็๏ผ
Just like how Western culture has Christmas movies and holiday flicks that release during the holiday seasonโsome that become rewatched classics later onโthe same thing kinda happens in Hong Kong for Lunar New Year (side note: I can only speak to Hong Kong and not to anywhere else that celebrate Lunar New Year)
Like Home Alone, Elf, and Love Actually...ใๅฆๅๅฆๅๆฐๅนด่ฒก ใis that feel-good (and hilarious!) LNY classic you can watch to get into the LNY spirit ๐
There are plenty of other really good ่ณๆญฒ็'s that stick out in my mind (e.g. ๅฎถๆๅไบ), but this one felt particularly relevant given all the Mahjong Line shenanigans that went down earlier this month.
If you want to learn about Mahjong, and see the pros in action, THIS is the movie you should watch, my friends.
I'm still trying to find a place to watch/buy this movie, but I watched the first 15 minutes of it on a random site, and I have to say, it holds up ๐
Admittedly, it's one of the more recent movies, and it's probably a little bit of nostalgia slightly clouding my judgement ๐ But still.
I also love that it's not just empty entertainment. There are layers of different topics it touches on that I hadn't realized before, like assumptions around "good" and "bad" professions, sportsmanship in the game of Mahjong translating to personal character, and just the attitude around playing the hand you're dealt the best you can ๐ฅบ
Plus, everything is just so... so... so Cantonese/Hong Kong!! The dialogue, the setting, everything... ๐
If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!
Do YOU have any favourite ่ณๆญฒ็๏ผ