The plot sharpens its critique of systemic discrimination through the friendship of three characters, addressing issues from the distribution of educational resources to workplace adjustments, revealing the challenging reality of legalizing the status of Hong Kong sign language. In the climactic courtroom scene, the film establishes a milestone for deaf cinema in Asia by invoking Article 21 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which safeguards the right to sign language.
Interwoven Life Dialectics
- Zi Xin (played by Neo Yau), a sign language teacher, insists on a deaf-centric culture and rejects cochlear implants.
- Alan (played by Marco Ng Chi-ho), a bimodal communicator, navigates the boundaries between the deaf and hearing worlds.
- Su En (played by Chung Suet-ying), a speech therapy struggler, pays the price of being labeled as "normal."
- Genres
- Release Date2025 年 2 月 20 日
- Languages
- Regions
2025
The way we talk
看我今天怎麼說 (Original Title)
"The Way We Talk" is a representative work of Hong Kong's social realism cinema, directed by Neo Yau Hawk Sau, who spent three years conducting field research and collaborated with deaf writer Qian Chun to create the script. The film is supported by the Lee Hysan Foundation and produced by One Cool Film Production Limited, garnering seven nominations at the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards and winning Best Actress at the Golden Horse Awards in 2024 (for Chung Suet-ying). The three lead actors—Neo Yau, Chung Suet-ying, and Marco Ng Chi-ho—underwent six months of intensive sign language training to authentically depict the deaf community's ecology. Special invitation was extended to independent musician Chen Lei to compose the theme song "What If," enhancing the narrative tension of the silent world through auditory contrast. The film is scheduled for release in Hong Kong on February 20, 2025, with special screenings featuring sign language interpretation and audio description, embodying the theme of equality. For more information on "The Way We Talk" screenings and topics related to deaf culture, please follow the official social media platforms.
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