Thailand / France 2002
27:50 minutes / Digital, 4:3, Stereo / Colour
Directors / Camera: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Christelle Lheureux
Story taken from the comic book Rak Kang Ti Song Ti Hong Kong by Tepakorn Na Tasala, Penguin Comics, Thailand
Cast: Tiana Mille
Supported by Le Pavillon, Palais de Tokyo, Paris
Second Love in Hong Kong shares a common theme in the art works of Christelle and Apichatpong – a minimalist portrayal of hybrid fiction/non-fiction landscape. Here the filmmakers focus on an imaginary character named Hong (Swan) who travels from Thailand to Hong Kong for a housemaid job. The tale is taken from a comic book of the same title and is chosen among the thousands of romance comics that are widely read by Thai workingwomen, mostly underprivileged.
I had lived with my husband for more than ten years without any quarrel, even though he could not support the family. His legs were crushed in a car accident. J’ai vécu avec mon mari pendant plus de 10 ans, on ne s'est jamais disputés, même s’il ne pouvait pas subvenir aux besoins de la famille. Ses jambes furent blessées lors d’un accident de voiture.
So I was the sole responsible for the family’s income. My husband was crippled for life. But that did not diminish my love towards him. J’avais alors la responsabilité de la famille. Mon mari était (handicapé) à vie. Mais cela ne faisait pas dimininuer mon amour pour lui.
On the contrary, I gave my sympathy for him. I provided him everything. Au contraitre, j’avais de la compassion pour lui. Je lui donnais tout.
I was his brain and his legs. Our kids were our encouragement. So we were contented. J’étais ses bras et ses jambes. Nos enfants nous encourageaient. Nous étions heureux.
One day I found an ad in a newspaper, recruiting maids for Hong Kong. The salary was three thousand Hong Kong dollars, which was about ten thousand baht. Un jour, j’ai trouvé une annonce dans le journal, qui recrutait des servantes. Le salaire était de 300 dollars hongkongais, ce sui faisait environ 10 000 baht.
I consulted my husband. He believed my judgment, and trusted his life with me. “Fine, I trusted you.” J’en ai parlé à mon mari. Il a cru en mon choix et avait confiance en se vie avec moi. "D’accord, je te fais confiance".
And I never caused any bad image for the family. So he was confident in me. Et je ne donnais aucune mauvaise image de la famille. Il avait toute confiance en moi.
My brother raised me since I was one year old. Even though I was married, he was still concerned about me. Mon frère s’occupait de moi depuis que j’avais un an. Même si j’étais marriée, il était toujours à mes côtés.
There were only two of us. Our parents were dead. When I consulted him about the Hong Kong job, he supported the idea and helped me loan money for a plane ticket. Il n’y avait que nous deux. Nos parents étaient morts. Quand je lui ai parlé de ce travail à Hong Kong, il m’a soutenu et aidé à payer le billet d’avion.
“Be careful when you befriend with either a man or a woman. Don’t be too carefree. You are far away from home. There are dangers out there.” "Fait attention quand si tu devient ami avec un homme ou une femme. Ne soit pas trop insouciante. Tu serra loin de nous. Il y a des dangers làs-bas ».
He advised me to always be a good. “Please keep your good history.” Il me conseillait de toujours être bonne. "Je t’en pris, (garde ta bonne histoire) ".
When I arrived in Hong Kong, there was an agent picking me up and drove me to my master’s house. Quand je suis arrivée à Hong Kong, un agent m’a emmené à la maison de mes maîtres.