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‘The Last Dance’ Review: Hong Kong Blockbuster Resonates With Compassion And Authenticity
Read Deadline's review of The Last Dance, Hong Kong's biggest local hit of all time
Dominic is quick to embrace the cosmetic similarities between the two industries, not least the opportunity to upsell grieving relatives with ostentatious ceremonial add-ons, but is given the cold shoulder by his new partner — the cantankerous old Taoist priest, ironically known as Master “Hello” Man (Hui) because of his frosty disposition. Most notable among these rituals is “Breaking Hell’s Gates” — which gives the film its original Cantonese title, and involves an elaborate display of smashing clay tiles using a ceremonial sword, in order to guarantee the deceased’s safe passage through the underworld on route to reincarnation. After decades of hard graft through a seemingly endless stream of romcoms and boilerplate genre fare, here she wrestles the film’s dramatic arc away from her male counterparts in order to engage with a host of compounding grievances, from the burden of filial piety to the tragic isolation of modern urban living.
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