by Pauline Adamek
Worth: $14.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Patra Au Ga Man, Maggie Li Lin Lin, Tai Bo
Intro:
… calm, bittersweet, and very moving.
Hong Kong screenwriter and independent filmmaker Ray Yeung begins his domestic drama by charting the mundane details of a long-term relationship. Adopting a deliberate and unhurried pace, we meet an older couple in their sunset years. Angie and Pat present as a comfortably well-off lesbian couple in their mid-60s, contentedly sharing their lives with each other. For the past 30 years, they’ve lived together in Pat’s Hong Kong flat. Patra Au Ga Man and Maggie Li Lin Lin star as the pair, evidently devoted to one another as well as to their extended family. Their comfortable intimacy is depicted as they enjoy their routine pleasures of shopping at the local markets and good-naturedly interacting with their favourite vendors, through to the painstaking preparations for a family feast. Family camaraderie over the communal mid-Autumn Festival celebrations suggests a happy group undisturbed by strife.
Cue the dramatic upset. Pat suddenly passes away one night, and Angie receives condolences and comfort from her friends and initially from Pat’s family as well. But it’s not long before disputes over Pat’s funeral and her estate cause a rift between them all.
Under Hong Kong law, Angie has no legal claim to the flat and finds herself depending, precariously, on the diminishing kindness of Pat’s family. As it was Pat who handled their affairs, even though they shared their costs equally, Angie finds herself having to deal with not only the death of her beloved but to also resolve her uncertain future. With the help of her chosen family, Angie embarks upon a journey of self-reliance in her later years.
Writer-director Ray Yeung tenderly explores the aftermath of the loss of a loved one. More importantly, his story focuses on a character that we seldom see in contemporary filmmaking — not just an old woman, but a gay woman who finds herself adrift as her long-term relationship is not officially recognised by law.
Sensitive to the issues facing marginalised people, Yeung’s films frequently center around gay stories. While this story ultimately explores family dynamics after the sudden death of an elder family member, by placing Angie and her dilemma at its heart, it’s the specifics that give voice to the queer experience.
Patra Au brings a natural ease and stability to her performance as Angie. Gaining accolades after embarking upon an acting career late in life, Au received her first onscreen role at the age of 67, in the 2020 drama film Suk Suk, also directed by Ray Yeung.
The drama of All Shall Be Well is calm, bittersweet, and very moving. With careful attention to detail, Yeung illustrates the friction that forms between the desire for a respectful grief period and the intrusion of having to deal with an insensitive legal system and souring family dynamics after a significant loss. A thoughtful and emotionally resonant film, All Shall Be Well successfully navigates complex themes with grace and sensitivity.
