Johnnie To

(On TV, August 2020) It had to be done: a musical comedy set in a high-rise rented by a financial firm… in 2008 Hong Kong, as stocks were plunging without an end in sight. Directed by Johnnie To but written by co-star Sylvia Chang (from her own theatrical play), Office is a cool but not completely satisfying high-style movie musical. The corporate environment offers a nice thematic excuse to confront the cold steel-and-glass sets with the passion of the characters engaging in romance or revenge. The striking geometrical sets are gigantic, and perhaps overused. Not understanding Chinese means that it’s difficult to assess the songs: they’re not as immediately bouncy nor memorable as (say) many Bollywood movies, but I did like the techno-rock beats thrown in the mix. Still, Office remains a musical in the very classical sense, with characters singing their thoughts in ensemble songs. It may be a touch too dramatic to earn the moniker of a musical comedy, but it would hardly by the first musical to fail that check. Narratively, the ending does leave a few things hanging but not enough to disappoint. I clearly found Office to be interesting, but it’s just disappointing enough to fall short of satisfying.