Inside the Red Brick Wall
Across Asia
•
1h 28m
Directed by Hong Kong Documentary Filmmakers • Documentary • 2021 • 88 minutes
In 2019, the world was captivated by pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Demonstrators, many with colorful umbrellas, faced teargas and rubber bullets for calling to an end to increasing Chinese control of Hong Kong.
INSIDE THE RED BRICK WALL takes us into the heart of one of these protests: the two-week occupation and siege of Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Filmed by an anonymous collective, the film captures the cat-and-mouse game played by protesters and police in the early days of the siege, followed by days filled with helplessness and desperation, as the demonstrators attempt to escape without being arrested and brutalized.
It is remarkable as a document of the siege and the government’s response—but also for its stunning visuals, including protesters in gas masks asleep on concrete steps and hardhats arranged on the ground to spell out “SOS”. Made without commentary, INSIDE THE RED BRICK WALL captures the urgency and chaos of the protests.
This film is a companion to TAKING BACK THE LEGISLATURE, made by the same anonymous collective.
Up Next in Across Asia
-
Bright Future
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa • Drama • With Joe Odagiri, Tatsuya Fuji, Tadanobu Asano • 2003 • 115 minutes
"Casts its spell by drawing out the horror of everyday existence bit by bit, and then tossing in some otherworldly weirdness that makes the hair on the back of your neck try to run for cove...
-
An Elephant Sitting Still
Directed by Hu Bo • Drama • With Yu Zhang, Yuchang Peng, Uvin Wang • 2018 • 230 minutes
Under the gloomy sky of a small town in northern China, different protagonists’ lives are intertwined in this furious tale of nihilistic rage. While protecting his friend from a dangerous school bully, 16-yea...
-
A Man Vanishes
Directed by Shohei Imamura • Documentary • 1967 • 130 minutes
One of the most important and complex works by two-time Palme d'Or winning director Shohei Imamura, A MAN VANISHES begins as an investigation into one of the thousands of missing persons cases that occur in Japan each year.
The film ...
