Name: Choi wan kuk
Genre: Drama
Released: 1982-04-21
Duration: 1 h 29 min
Rating: 5.9
Cast: Ching Yee Chong, Jade Hsu, Marilyn Wong Cho-See

Granted, I wasn't really harboring much of any expectations for "Choi wan kuk" (aka "Once Upon a Rainbow") as I had the opportunity to sit down in 2021 and watch the movie for the first time.

And I will say that writers Hong-kiu Hoh, Man Sang Lo, Kar-Wai Wong and Chung-Man Yee really didn't collectively manage to write a story that proved very entertaining to me. Surprisingly enough since this movie actually had Kar-Wai Wong working on it.

However, I did watch it, since it was a Hong Kong movie that I hadn't already seen. And the movie did actually have a young Andy Lau and Eric Tsang among the cast, alongside with a couple other familiar faces here and there.

But the storyline told in "Once Upon a Rainbow" felt way too random and chaotic to provide much of any entertainment for me. And I have to admit that my interest in the movie was quickly fading, and my attention drifted elsewhere.

For me then "Once Upon a Rainbow" was not an outstanding moment in the 1980s Hong Kong cinema, and there are far better and more entertaining movies from that era out there.

My rating of director Agnes Ng's 1982 movie lands on a mere three out of ten stars.

Cantonese cinema from Hong Kong is globally recognized for its action films, martial arts epics, and romantic melodramas. Its innovation in choreography, editing, and atmosphere continues to set new standards for genre filmmaking.

The coming-of-age subgenre features personal growth, maturation, and self-discovery of a young protagonist as they navigate the challenges and transitions of adolescence into adulthood. These stories often revolve around characters experiencing pivotal moments, gaining new insights, and learning valuable life lessons as they transition from childhood to maturity.

The teen drama subgenre features stories specifically aimed at a teenage audience. These dramas typically focus on the lives, relationships, challenges, and experiences of teenagers and young adults. They often explore themes of identity, friendship, romance, family dynamics, and personal growth, catering to the interests and concerns of their target demographic.

Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club (1985)

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

Fong and Angie were close friends when they were in school but departed after graduation.

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Once Upon a Rainbow

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