Text by MOOK Scenic Spots Family, compiled and reported
"Mad World," which received 8 nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards and was the most moving Hong Kong film of the year, has scored another “miracle” triumph！As of April 5, its box office earnings in Hong Kong have surpassed NT$20 million, even outshining the Hollywood blockbuster "Beauty and the Beast." This surge has significantly boosted the film’s momentum, especially as the Hong Kong Film Awards results are set to be announced on April 8. Not only are the nominated lead actors such as Shawn Yue, Eric Tsang, and Elaine Jin becoming hot topics among fans as potential award winners, but director Wong Chun is also seen as having an almost sure bet at taking home the Best Director award.
"Mad World," starring Shawn Yue, Eric Tsang, and Elaine Jin, is not only a Golden Horse Award winner but also received multiple nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards. (Image provided by Filmko Entertainment)
The film’s scenes authentically portray the lives of ordinary people in Hong Kong, particularly those from the lower and middle classes, allowing viewers to deeply empathize with the struggles of real life. It also breaks away from the common perception of Hong Kong as a glitzy city focused mainly on shopping and tourism. To experience and understand the daily life of local Hong Kong, exploring the filming locations of "Mad World" reveals a very different and genuine side of the city.
The rooftop scenes were filmed on the rooftop of a Tong Lau building in Kowloon City. (Image provided by Filmko Entertainment)
The following questions about the film’s locations, explained by director Wong Chun, are worth exploring whether or not you’ve seen the movie—offering deeper insight into the story behind "Mad World" through its choice of settings.
1. Where is the residence of Dad Tai-hoi (played by Eric Tsang)andAh-dong (played by Shawn Yue)?Which district in Hong Kong is it in?
Actually, the interior of their living space is not a formal apartment. It can be considered more of a rooftop unit. Their actual residence is a rooftop unit located in an elderly housing building in Kowloon City. The interior parts were shot in a rooftop flat in Wong Tai Sin. The living room section was filmed on the rooftop of a building in Prince Edward. It’s not a single specific location, but rather several places that we felt had certain symbolic meanings. We combined them to create a setting that doesn’t actually exist. In reality, this type of rooftop residence is quite common in those areas.
2. Ah-dongWhere does he go running at night to relieve his emotions?
In Cheung Sha Wan and Sham Shui Po.
3. Where is the residence of Ah-dong and his ex-fiancéeJenny((Fang Haowen, played by Elaine Jin)?) Which district in Hong Kong is it in?
What about the restaurant where they eat?
This is the space of T's Kitchen, originally located on Lockhart Road in Wan Chai but has since relocated to Gingee Street in Kwun Tong. It’s a location we borrowed from a friend for the shoot. Since we had limited funds during production, we asked a friend to let us use their restaurant for filming.
4.RegardingAh-dongandDad Tai-hoivisiting the graveof Ah-dong’s mother((played by Elaine Jin) Where is the cemetery?)the cemetery
This is the Diamond Hill Crematorium, a public cemetery managed by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department of the Hong Kong government, located on Po Kong Village Road, Diamond Hill, Wong Tai Sin District.
Julian Cheung and Eric Tsang delivered the most down-to-earth, profound, and moving performances in "Mad World." (Photo provided by Chia Shang Entertainment)
Extended question: Is it now popular in Hong Kong to scatter ashes on grass?
In recent years, the government has started implementing a policy where if no one handles the deceased's funeral arrangements, the ashes will be uniformly scattered on grasslands, with no gravestones or tombs. Of course, some families are willing and happy to have the ashes handled this way.
5. Ah DongThe outing spot that he didn't go to with his father, Dahai, when he was a child was the Shing Mun Reservoir. Is the final scene of the movie actually the Shing Mun Reservoir?Although it is the Shing Mun Reservoir in the plot, the filming actually took place at another location. At the time, another production crew was already filming there, so the team found a real location near the Shing Mun Reservoir in Tai Wai, Tai Po, to shoot the scene.The cramped and challenging living space shared by Julian Cheung and Eric Tsang in "Mad World" was actually a nursing home. (Photo provided by Chia Shang Entertainment)?
【Movie Synopsis】
"Mad World," which opened in Taiwan on April 7, tells the story of Ah Dong (played by Julian Cheung) who takes care of his mother (played by Elaine Jin), who suffers from an illness. The emotional conflict between mother and son is like a battle of trapped beasts. When Ah Dong accidentally causes his mother’s death, his father Dahai (played by Eric Tsang), who had been living alone for many years, takes Ah Dong back to live with him out of guilt. The two men, burdened with deep remorse, are left with only each other—but the relatives confined in their tiny living space are the very past they can least face...
Vast wilderness plains × panoramic views of three districts A hidden gem reborn from fire
》http://www.mook.com.tw/article.php?op=articleinfo&articleid=15112
Wild Grasslands & Aerial Views of Three Regions – A Hidden Gem Reborn from the Ashes
》http://www.mook.com.tw/article.php?op=articleinfo&articleid=15112