Legal Tales | Masterful take by Hong Kong film The Last Dance on taboos surrounding death rites
Dramatic scene from blockbuster movie touches on the concept of disputes over funeral and burial arrangements
The film shattered several domestic box office records, including the highest single-day takings for a Hong Kong and Chinese-language film. It remains the highest-grossing locally produced movie in Hong Kong.
The film also received 18 nominations and clinched five awards at the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards in April. The beautifully crafted theme song – composed, written and sung by Terence Lam – became an instant hit.
The storyline is set in contemporary Hong Kong and centres on the journey of a wedding planner, Dominic (played by actor and comedian Dayo Wong Tze-wah), who is forced to make a career change by becoming a funeral planner due to the Covid-19 pandemic and economic downturn.
He meets his business partner, Master “Hello” Man (played by veteran Michael Hui Koon-man), a Taoist priest deeply committed to traditional funeral rituals.
The Chinese title of The Last Dance refers to a traditional funeral ritual, known as “breaking hell’s gate”, performed by Taoist priests to open the gates of the underworld and guide the deceased into reincarnation. This Taoist ritual is officially named one of the traditional death rites in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory of Hong Kong.