If anything, this Hong Kong dystopian anthology film, "Ten Years," may've been overly optimistic. It only took four years from its release in 2015 and not ten to introduce an extradition bill as the opening salvo in the Chinese Communist Party's steamrolling of the rights of the citizenry of Hong Kong. Don't expect any more movies like "Ten Years" or many good movies for that matter coming out of the former-British-turned-Chinese colony from now on, either. Something about brutal and oppressive authoritarianism just isn't conductive to the freedom of expression required to make good art. When was the last time you saw a great movie to come out of Xinjiang, after all--"Mulan" (2020) included?

That said, I wish I could honestly say I found "Ten Years" a great film, what with its agreeable social commentary and that it reportedly won a Best Film award for which mainland China censored the awards show (and nobody even bothered to waste effort attempting to distribute the movie itself there). But, the anthology framework, filled as it is with some lackluster episodes, doesn't work very well. The second one, "Season of the End," is especially rather dull. Others, such as "Dialect," which follows a taxi driver forced to learn Mandarin in the once-Cantonese-dominant Hong Kong lest he lose his job, and "Self-Immolator," a mockumentary that seems especially prescient given protests and violence in Hong Kong in recent years, are better. I think the best is saved for last, "Local Egg," which ends with a bookstore's secret depository for contraband. It's the only kind of place where "Ten Years" itself could occupy in China now. An incredibly fitting end with one exception that I could spot: Captain America's shield. Once again, "Ten Years" may've been overly optimistic--in this case that Disney, or Hollywood and capitalism in general, wouldn't kowtow so shamefully to an authoritarian regime. Nope, that merchandise is more likely to be hanging in a politburo conference room than a hidden space for banned artifacts.

Passionate, 5 magnificent stories, Honconguese production with fantastic social criticism of Chinese politics, tight budget, stupendous result, the unsuccessful murder, the taxi driver in Cantonese dialect, in the face of the prejudice of Mandarin supremacy, the suffering and pain of self-immolation, and the less interesting, but unknown couple hunters of strange things and incomprehensible situations...

Watched this film based on the discussion it stirred upon its release.

Ten Years is a collection of shorts that paint a bleak picture for the future of Hong Kong. One cannot feel but helpless while watching these shorts.

Yet, this movie is more for those living in Hong Kong than outside. People who have never been to Hong Kong will not be able to relate or understand without more context. Maybe that's why it didn't catch on for non-Hong Kong enthusiasts.

3.5/5. I enjoy the film. I understand the underlying stories. But the message could have been done in a better way.