桃姐 (2011, A Simple Life, Ann Hui)

... and a simple film. Chung Chun To has worked all her life for the family of Roger. When she suffers from a stroke, she decides to retire and Roger is looking after her. Her health declines and in the end she dies, but yet - a film that is inspiring hope.
Wonderfully acted by Andy Lau and Deannie Yip. So many expressions are conveyed just by their doing and not by their saying.
The film also "criticizes society", however not by crying out a manifesto, but just by pointing. For example when we see that the people in that retirement home haven't their private rooms, but just detached cells without much privacy. Nor when we learn about the latent racist attitudes that without shame accepts different payment according to the origin of the worker.
This is a quiet film, that kept me thinking for a while.
10/10

Andy Lau and Deannie Yip in A Simple Life

Remembering happy days together

Privacy in a Hong Kong retirement home

A Simple Life is one of the best films I have seen recently

Witch from Nepal (1985)

My experience says: better don't popular Asian film prior to 2000. This includes Hong Kong cinema I should have listened to my intuition, but I saw that there was some footage from Nepal, so I watched the movie anyway.
The film's original title is Qi yuan. It's about a couple from HK that is on a safari in Nepal. The man meets a mysterious woman who wants him to become the master of her tribe. She follows him to Hong Kong and he gets her powers., That is good, as a warrior tries to eliminate that man.
The story is told in a confusing manner, the comedy is silly, the special effects are preposterous. The acting is OK, that is the actors make the best of this nonsense.
The witch from Nepal doesn't talk very much, but when she talks, she speaks Hindi.
I give it a 2/10.