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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film
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ReviewGamer Girls movie review: Angela Yuen leads ensemble in beguiling Hong Kong esports drama

This engaging tale of an all-female esports team delivers an underdog story with a light touch and punches well above its modest budget

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Angela Yuen as online gamer Summer in a still from Gamer Girls (category IIB, Cantonese), directed by Veronica Bassetto and Sophie Yang.
Edmund Lee

3/5 stars

One of the most beguiling aspects of Gamer Girls is that it never acknowledges its characters’ gaming addiction for what it is. Too distracted by the craving for just one more match to function at your day job? Never mind. Needing to grind out another 500 hours of playtime within weeks to qualify for tournament selection? No problem.

Despite its casual treatment of the gruelling, burnout-inducing realities of esports, and its light-touch approach to the toxic misogyny that often plagues player communities, this directorial debut from Hong Kong filmmakers Veronica Bassetto and Sophie Yang Fan is simply too stylish and kinetic to hold a grudge against.
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Made on a budget of HK$5 million, the film boasts an ambitious array of vibrant DIY visual effects, compiled by writer-director Bassetto and Derek Wong Tze-wei. These impressive renderings of the in-game world make this otherwise conventional, dream-chasing story far more infectious than it has any right to be.

Bearing a notable narrative resemblance to the recent comedy Good Game, Gamer Girls stars Angela Yuen Lai-lam (The Narrow Road) as Summer, a former pro struggling to adapt to corporate life after her team disbands. Still in her twenties, she is already past her prime in the ruthlessly young competitive gaming arena.
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