CELEBRATION OF LIFE AND DEATH

ANSELM Chan's The Last Dance features a rather off-the-wall comparison between a wedding and a funeral in that the seemingly disparate ceremonies could well be two sides of the same coin.

- NAMRATA JOSHI

This observation — the gifts given to the couple paralleling the offerings made to the departed — comes from the film's lead protagonist, wedding planner Dominic (Dayo Wong) who is forced to leave his floundering trade amid the pandemic and the lockdown for a more profitable funeral business.

As he ventures deeper into dealing with the dead, the audience realises that his analogy forms one of the seminal strands of The Last Dance.

The Cantonese film had its world premiere at the Hawaii International Film Festival in October last year and also went on to play in Tokyo and Rotterdam. What's more, following its theatrical release at home in Hong Kong, it has turned out to be the highest-grossing domestic production of all time in the country. The reason for its popularity is not difficult to understand.

In talking about mortality it addresses the deepest of anxieties, the several crises of faith and basic existential issues affecting human lives.

In exploring death it helps deepen the understanding of life, and of relationships, family, community and culture as well.