| I'm Livin' It | |||||||||||||||
| Native Name: |
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| Director: | Danny Wong | ||||||||||||||
| Producer: | Cheang Pou-soi | ||||||||||||||
| Screenplay: | Ja Poon | ||||||||||||||
| Starring: | Aaron Kwok Miriam Yeung Alex Man Cheung Tat-ming Paw Hee-ching Cya Liu Zeno Koo Gaga Wong Kathy Wu Sammy So Nora Miao | ||||||||||||||
| Music: | Peter Kam | ||||||||||||||
| Cinematography: | Yip Shiu-kei | ||||||||||||||
| Editing: | Siu Pa-wong Angelina Kwan | ||||||||||||||
| Studio: | Media Asia Films Entertainment Power Beijing Lajin Film Media Asia Distribution (Beijing) China Film Media Asia Audio Video Distribution Mokexing Film (Beijing) Amazing Global Limited Mountain Top EMI Global (Beijing) International Asset Management Beijing Linxi Film Beijing Bigmay Universe Film Star Alliance Pictures (Wuxi) | ||||||||||||||
| Distributor: | Media Asia Distributions Entertaining Power Intercontinental Film Distributors (HK) | ||||||||||||||
| Runtime: | 114 minutes | ||||||||||||||
| Country: | Hong Kong | ||||||||||||||
| Language: | Cantonese | ||||||||||||||
| Gross: | US$3.63 million[1] | ||||||||||||||
I'm Livin' It is a 2019 Hong Kong drama film directed by Danny Wong in his directorial debut and starring Aaron Kwok and Miriam Yeung. The film addresses the issues of rich-poor gap in the Hong Kong society, as well as poverty and homelessness and focuses on McRefugees.[2] [3]
I'm Livin' It made its world premiere at the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival in the Asian Future section on 20 October 2019.[4] The film also closed both the 4th London East Asia Film Festival on 3 November 2019, where Kwok was the subject of the festival's Actor Focus and also winning the Best Actor Award for his performance,[5] [6] and the 4th International Film Festival & Awards Macao on 20 December 2019[7] before it was theatrically released in Hong Kong on 17 September 2020.[8]
The film was nominated for ten awards at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards, winning Best Supporting Actor for Cheung Tat-ming.[9]
Bowen Tung (Aaron Kwok) used to be a financial whiz who has become a McRefugee. He befriends other homeless dwellers, which include Wai-yin (Cya Liu), a mother who becomes indebt from paying off her mother-in-law's debts, Uncle Wait (Alex Man), who is afraid to return home, Sam (Zeno Koo), a teenager who ran away from home, and Jane (Miriam Yeung), a lounge singer. They all support and help each other to overcome the difficult times of their lives.
Aaron Kwok revealed he first read the script for the film at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and insisted to be part of the project then. He also starved himself to get the feeling of hunger in order to dive deeper into his role and suffered from psychosomatic symptoms as a result and thought he had developed cancer like his character did and had to get his body checked by a doctor who told him not to worry.[10]
I'm Livin' It grossed a total of US$3,629,423 worldwide.[1]
Opening on 17 September 2020 in Hong Kong, the film debuted No. 2 at its opening weekend, grossing HK$2.97 million.[11] During its second weekend, the film grossed HK$2.18 million and was placed at No. 3, grossing a total of HK$5.15 million by then.[12] In its third weekend, the film grossed HK$1.79 million, positioning at No. 4, grossing a total of HK$6.95 million by then.[13] During its fourth weekend, the film grossed HK$700,000, placing at No. 7, having accumulated a total gross of HK$7.59 million by then.[14] By 14 October 2020, I'm Livin' It had grossed a total of HK$8 million in Hong Kong.[15] The film ended its Hong Kong theatrical run with a total gross of HK$8,273,307 at the local box office, making it the fourth highest-grossing domestic film of 2020 in the territory.[16]
Edmund Lee of the South China Morning Post gave the film a score of 3.5/5 stars praising Danny Wong's direction and the cast's performances.[17] Lim Lian-yu of Yahoo! Lifestyle gave the film a score of 3/5 stars and writes "I’m Livin’ It will make you ponder about the severity of the social issues presented in the movie, and how these issues of being trapped in a vicious poverty cycle have been lingering around and awaiting solutions."[18] The Straits Times praised Wong's direction, calling it an "engaging if heavily romanticised portrait of a tragic social phenomenon."[19] Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter praises the film's distinct and convincing tone performances of Aaron Kwok and Miriam Yeung and the film's tech work.[20]
| Ceremony | Category | Recipient | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Film | I'm Livin' It | |
| Best Actor | Aaron Kwok | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Alex Man | ||
| Cheung Tat-ming | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Cya Liu | ||
| Best Art Direction | Man Lim-chung, Billy Li | ||
| Best Costume Make Up Design | Man Lim-chung, Polly Chan | ||
| Best Original Film Score | Peter Kam | ||
| Best Original Film Song | Song: Grey Stardust (灰色星塵)Composer: Peter Kam Lyricist: Siu Mei Singer: Aaron Kwok | ||
| Best New Director | Danny Wong | ||
| 3rd Kongest Film Awards[21] | Best Film | I'm Livin' It | |
| Best Actor | Aaron Kwok | ||
| Best Actress | Miriam Yeung | ||
| My Favorite Hong Kong Film | I'm Livin' It | ||