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This article is written in Hong Kong English. |
| This version has its own spelling conventions (colour, realise, travelled) and some terms that are used in it may be different or absent from other varieties of English. This should not be changed without broad consensus. |
Shadows Over Victoria (Cantonese: 維多利亞上面嘅陰影 Jyutping: wai4 do1 lei6 ngaa3 soeng6 min6 ge3 jam1 jing2) is a 2021 Hong Kong war film written, produced and directed by Ronald Kung. It is Kung's first feature film to be shot entirely in live-action since 2006's The Mirror City. Starring Leslie Ching, Nana Komatsu, Tony Hung and Shun Oguri, the film is set in Hong Kong during the final years of the Second World War, from 1944 to 1945, as the Japanese occupation reaches its brutal crescendo and the tide of the war begins to turn against the Axis powers. It captures the desperation, resilience, and moral ambiguity of a city caught between cultures, allegiances, and survival.
Plot[]
In 1944, in the bustling streets of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and amid the curfews, food shortages and fear, Emily Yuen, a young Cantonese nurse, secretly works with a network of resistance fighters. Her family is torn apart: her father, a retired teacher, collaborates reluctantly with the Japanese to protect his family, while her younger brother, Wei, dreams of joining the guerrillas hiding in the New Territories.
A chance encounter at a black-market deal introduces Emily to Tomiko Matsuda, a disillusioned Japanese journalist sent to Hong Kong to write propaganda. Tomiko, a former idealist, has grown wary of the Imperial Army’s cruelty and seeks to document the human cost of war, even if it means subversively aiding the resistance.
Emily and Tomiko form an uneasy alliance. Tomiko supplies critical intelligence about Japanese troop movements, which Emily’s network uses to aid Allied forces planning their eventual liberation of the city. Meanwhile, Emily faces increasing pressure from her brother and her resistance allies to do more than just provide medical aid—she is asked to participate in sabotage missions, forcing her to confront the morality of taking lives for freedom.
The stakes rise when the Japanese authorities, aware of a mole in their ranks, intensify their crackdown. Emily’s father is arrested, suspected of aiding the resistance, while Wei’s rash actions lead to tragic consequences. Emily must now navigate the treacherous line between loyalty to her family and commitment to the cause.
As the war nears its end, the occupation grows increasingly chaotic. The Allies begin bombing campaigns, while food shortages push Hong Kong's residents to the brink of starvation. The resistance plans a daring raid on a Japanese munitions depot, and Emily is forced to take a leadership role in the operation after her superior is killed. Simultaneously, Tomiko discovers her reports have been intercepted. Her cover is blown, and she is arrested. Rather than betray her newfound allies, she uses her position to stage a diversion that allows Emily’s group to succeed in their mission but at the cost of her own life.
As the Japanese surrender in August 1945, Hong Kong is liberated, but the scars of occupation linger. Emily emerges as a hero, but she grapples with the personal losses and compromises she made. In the final scene, she finds Tomiko’s hidden journal—a testament to the unlikely bond they shared and the blurred lines of identity and humanity in a time of war.
Cast[]
- Leslie Ching as Emily Yuen Wan-ying (袁婉瑩), a young Cantonese nurse who secretly works with a network of resistance fighters.
- Nana Komatsu as Tomiko Matsuda (松田富子), a disillusioned Japanese journalist sent to Hong Kong to write propaganda.
- Tony Hung as Yuen Wei (袁偉), Emily's younger brother.
- Shun Oguri as General Kazuhiro Nakayama (中山一弘), the main antagonist.
- David Sung as Jack Yuen Siu-pang (袁少鵬), Emily's father.
- Tetsuji Tamayama as Commander Shinji Yamakawa (山川真司)
- Go Ayano as Corporal Yoichi Hamaguchi (濱口庸一)
- Tadanobu Asano as Colonel Keiji Yuasa (湯浅敬司)
Allies[]
American[]
- Tony Farley
- Dean Barnes
- Shane Wheeler
- Shaun Schroeder
- Billy Burton
- Thomas Pearce
- Dakota Hansen
- Mark Shepard
British[]
- Jonathan Addis
- John Baxter
- Javad Hassan
- Philip Hutchinson
- Kingsley Macey
- John Metherell
- Muhammad Nazar
- Scott Powell
- Paul Thomas