Beginning Friday, December 29, a new 2K restoration of Spacked Out, Lawrence Lau‘s underseen and unbridled teen girl coming-of-age drama initially released in 2000, opens for a one-week New York exclusive theatrical run at Metrograph theater and a two-week exclusive streaming release on Metrograph At Home. Actress Christy Cheung will be in attendance for select screenings. More cities are to be announced by Kani.
In the god-forsaken satellite city of Tuen Mun, 13-year-old Cookie suspects she’s pregnant. Lately, things have not been going her way. Her mother left; her father ignores her; her best friend is in reform school; and her boyfriend is off selling bootleg VCDs in bustling Mong Kok. Flanked by her ride-or-dies Banana, Sissy, and Bean Curd, she journeys into town to find an abortionist.
Director Lawrence Lau updates his 1988 debut Gangs —a shocking account of underage Triads— with an all-girls cast surviving on the lowest rungs of gang-life after the bosses have long gone legit. Swimming in turn-of-century malaise, this Category III youth drama offers a slice of urban grime as our quartet, who can only rely on themselves, navigate drug abuse, bad boyfriends and library books way past their due dates.
Lawrence Ah Mon, was born in Pretoria, South Africa in 1949 before moving to Hong Kong to continue his schooling. He studied film production in California and, back in Hong Kong, later worked as an assistant director under Tsui Hark.
His acclaimed debut, Gangs (1988) stars Tse Wai Kit as a notably foulmouthed child-gang member. Recognised for its social realism, the film was a groundbreaking wake up call to the realities of growing up in an always almost rich Hong Kong, a theme he would continue to tackle in Spacked Out and Gimme Gimme.
Both were produced by Johnnie To and his production company Milkyway Image (INC), and also tell the stories of youth dealing with drugs, sex, love, abortion and growing up. His sophomore film, Queen of Temple Street, premiered at La Semaine de la Critique. Spacked Out premieres on December 29th at the Metrograph theater in NYC.
