Issue
Up Close: Elysa Wendi & Lee Wai-Shing
A man enters frame right and tracks a small ravine as sunlight casts through the foliage, striking the ink-green, algae-covered ground. At times, he crawls, holding tight to the wall, trying to maintain his balance. The man is Ong Yong Lock, a veteran Hong Kong-based Malaysian dancer and choreographer, and the short film is A Long Walk (2022), co-directed by Elysa Wendi and Lee Wai-Shing and commissioned by Tai Kwun. But despite initial impressions that this film might be a covert reflection of Hong Kong’s political unease and social disruption, it is, in fact, a portrait of Ong and his struggles throughout a long and seasoned career.