The Last Dance (2024, Hong Kong) by Anselm Chan had its Dutch premiere in the first weekend of IFFR. For the occasion I had the chance to interview Chan along with Michelle Wai, one of the main actresses.

The Last Dance, located in Hong Kong’s distinctive Hung Hom district, is Chan’s third film he directed so far. The film explores themes of life and death by inviting the audience into the world of Hong Kong’s Taoist funeral traditions and Taoist culture.

The first IFFR screening drew a large Chinese diaspora audience. Despite its themes of grief and loss, the film sparked unexpected laughter, as Chan and Wai say in our interview. ‘We were a bit confused, so after the screening we asked the audience why they were laughing so much. They responded by telling us that The Last Dance has a very Hong Kong flavour to it and it made them feel very delighted to see something familiar on the big screen.’ This example shows the importance of film as an art form for community purposes and is one of the reasons The Last Dance is so impactful.

Wai shines in the role of a Taoist priest’s daughter, oppressed by the patriarchy and outdated traditions. Therefore, Last Dance highlights female empowerment while reflecting on tradition.

In The Last Dance, Chan debates the role and place of tradition and its ability to respond to the passage of time. ‘Every generation wants to pass on something to the next generation, but the next generation will never be able to learn everything. When traditions go down from generation to generation, people often can’t persist in what they learned in the beginning.’ For Chan the contradiction of telling this story lies in challenging the audience to question why they still hold on to certain parts of traditions. ‘On the other hand, people don’t reflect, they don’t ask why they have to do certain things. To me, it’s a matter of consciousness, that I wanted to give the audience with The Last Dance. Through the metaphor of Hells Gate, I wanted to question what each past generation teaches us and passes down to the next generation.’

Although our conversation was short, it gave an insightful depth into the film. The Last Dance concludes on a hopeful note for the future of Hong Kong’s next generations. Like Chan says ‘cultural tradition and modern society can exist together.’

Written by Fé Baan