Thirty Years of Adonis
| Thirty Years of Adonis | |
|---|---|
| 三十儿立 | |
| Directed by | Scud |
| Written by | Scud |
| Produced by | Scud |
| Starring | Adonis He Fei Susan Shaw Nora Miao Amanda Lee Bank Chuang Eric East Katashi Cici Lee Justin Lim Alan Tang Yu Sheng Ting |
| Cinematography | Nathan Wong |
| Edited by | Chui-Hing Chan |
| Music by | Shan Ho |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Countries | Hong Kong, Taiwan, China |
| Languages | Mandarin Cantonese English |
Thirty Years of Adonis (Chinese: 三十儿立), is a 2017 film by the Hong Kong film-maker Scud, the production-crediting name of Danny Cheng Wan-Cheung. It is a story of a young man who is a Beijing Opera actor. He decides to pursue acting, and soon becomes a commercial sex worker for men and women. The movie explores several themes traditionally regarded as 'taboo' in Hong Kong society and features full-frontal male nudity in several scenes. It is the seventh publicly released film by Scud. The six other films are: City Without Baseball in 2008, Permanent Residence in 2009, Amphetamine in 2010, Love Actually... Sucks! in 2011, Voyage in 2013, and Utopians in 2015. The movie features footage from Utopians.[1] The eighth film, Apostles, was made in 2022, as was the ninth, Bodyshop, but neither have yet been released.[2] The tenth and final film, Naked Nations: Hong Kong Tribe, is currently in production.[2][3]
Plot
[edit]Thirty Years of Adonis explores the philosophy of life and death, religious beliefs and karma through an erotically charged story. Yang Ke is a 30-year-old man who dreams of becoming a famous Beijing Opera actor. He is an attractive man who can effortlessly charm both men and women. However, his fate leads him to the underworld as he joins a cult-like society of masculine sex workers. Despite his faith and his willingness to give, he remains a prisoner to his karma. Hell awaits when heaven seems near, and the ultimate truth is revealed in a heart-breaking moment from which there is no return.
Cast
[edit]- Adonis He Fei as Yang Ke
- Susan Shaw
- Nora Miao
- Amanda Lee
- Bank Chuang
- Eric East
- Katashi
- Cici Lee
- Justin Lim
- Alan Tang
- Yu Sheng Ting
Production
[edit]Although some of the scenes were unmistakably filmed in casinos in Macau, the streets of Hong Kong and temples in Thailand, Thirty Years of Adonis purportedly blurs geographical boundaries by portraying characters speaking different languages and practising different cultures. In addition, the background of the protagonist Ke—born in Shandong and working in a Peking Opera troupe—further confers a sense of universality upon the social issues the film touches on.[citation needed]
Languages
[edit]In the movie, four languages are spoken: Hokkien, Mandarin, Cantonese and English.
See also
[edit]- List of Hong Kong films of 2017
- List of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender-related films
- List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender-related films by storyline
- Nudity in film (East Asian cinema since 1929)
References
[edit]- ^ "Interview: Scud talks Thirty Years of Adonis and More". FilmDoo. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- ^ a b Lo Hoi-ying (20 September 2022). "'We need to be hopeful': Hong Kong queer director Scud, renowned for his sexually explicit art-house movies, on leaving filmmaking". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ Gareth Johnson (11 January 2018). "Scud: "I'm reluctant to call Hong Kong home"". Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.