Critics Of "Our Time Will Come (Ming yue ji shi you) [Audio: China]"
Los Angeles Times
July 06, 2017
A little-known chapter in Hong Kong's wartime history has been vividly re-created in "Our Time Will Come," a female-driven drama poignantly directed by Ann Hui.
By highlighting the value of artists and intellectuals, and the importance of protecting them, she imbues the authentic historical episode with timely universal relevance.
The film capitalizes on its characters' amateurism, which imbues their life-threatening cause with a desperation that easily translates into tension in every scene.
A film marked by strong performances - leads Zhou Xun and Deanie Ip in particular - and a poignant resonance which rings through to the territory's travails today.
Beyond the handful of obligatory escapades, gunfights and images of martyrdom, the film reveals itself as less a drama about extraordinary heroes than an illustration of life in a fallen city.
It's Fang's transformation, embodied by Ms. Zhou's lean, cool authority, that carries the most weight, lending the proceedings an unforced feminist dimension, and reaffirming Ms. Hui's status as one of China's cinematic treasures.
Like most of Hui's films, Our Time's subtlety is entrancing, withholding big dramatic moments to consider everyday behavior. This strategy speaks to Hui's tremendous gifts of directing actors and establishing a sense of place.