Hong Kong
2024 89 mins
OV Cantonese
Subtitles : English
Look out for the Karate Girl! Injustice has reigned over the quiet town of Shek O in Hong Kong. Chu Po is a young masked vigilante out to help those in need and kick a baddie’s ass. Just as her social-media popularity increases, so do her frequent injuries, as she learns that her beginner’s skills may be no match for those of more experienced fighters. Fate draws her to a local church infested with illicit drug-dealing activities. She soon realizes her connection to that church is more personal than expected as there’s a link to her family’s past. Should she simply stay in the shadows and pray for a miracle, or put her karate chops to good use?
An rejuvenated ode to both THE KARATE KID and the action heroines of Hong Kong’s Golden Age, the latest from director Ricky Ko after his award-winning TIME (Fantasia 2021) once again nicely combines nostalgia and modernity with a potent mix of martial arts, humour, sweetness, and compelling characters, OUT OF THE SHADOW offers a guaranteed good time, a reminder of why we love HK movies so much in the first place. Starring several rising stars from Hong Kong, including two actors reunited after Fantasia favourite PORT OF CALL (2015), OUT OF THE SHADOW is fresh off several Asian festivals, and makes its first stopover in the West at Fantasia before it hits its home territory this fall. – King-Wei Chu