The Last Dance

The Last Dance (2024) became the highest grossing Hong Kong film ever made, and its subject is funerals. Dominic is a wedding planner buried in debt. When the pandemic destroys that business he moves into funeral services, where he is paired with a Taoist master who has performed the rites for decades and does not want him there. The ritual at the centre, which gives the film its Chinese title, is the breaking of the gates of hell. It is performed to release the soul of the dead and traditionally only men may perform it. The second half of the film turns on that rule and on the master's relationship with his daughter. That is probably why it was seen by so many people at home. It is not a film about death but about what the living are supposed to do afterwards, told through a local tradition. Michael Hui is a legendary name in Hong Kong comedy and plays a completely dramatic role here. It runs 126 minutes. Good for: Hong Kong cinema, family drama, and the collision between tradition and modern life. Less good for: death and mourning run through the entire film and the funeral detail is explicit. It may be hard for anyone who has recently lost someone.