Still Human (Hong Kong)

When I first came to Hong Kong, I was surprised by the scene of hundreds of people crowding the streets and overpasses on cardboard boxes. Only later I found out that this is a weekly occurrence on Sunday when the thousands of (mostly Filipino) maids living in Hong Kong have their day off, which they use to socialise with fellow maids.

Still Human revolves around Leung Cheong-wing, a paralysed and hopeless man living in a social housing flat in Hong Kong and Evelyn Santos, a Filipino domestic worker who came to the city to make a living.

It portrays the (often precarious) lives of Filipino workers in Hong Kong and how they are treated without becoming too heavy. The movie focuses on the brittle relation between Leung and Evelyn and is mostly shot inside the cramped apartment of Leung.

I really enjoyed the movie, the acting is amazing and the pace is just right. It manages to balance heavy subjects and light-heartedness and for me it was one of those movies that makes you think about the subject for the next couple of days.