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There's a genre concept in East Asia called
"Fairytales for grown-ups"
These are works of fiction that explore complex topics
Such as war, or domestic violence
Through fairytale conventions and child-like perspectives
Contrasting harsh reality against precious innocence
Today's story is a beloved example of this genre
Created by writer Brian Tse and illustrator Alice Mak
McDull is a slow-witted piglet
Ordinary in every way
In fact, McDull was originally just a side character in a comic strip
He is "just another kid"
Yet this earnestness is exactly what resonated with the audience
His popularity grew, outshining everyone else
Eventually becoming the face of Hong Kong animation
He's been in comic books, TV shows, commercials
Even a YouTube channel
And of course, a series of feature films
My Life as McDull, released in 2001
Was the first and arguably the most iconic film of the series
In this comedy anthology, a faceless adult McDull
Shares memories from his childhood around the 2000s
Some gags
Some heartfelt stories
Some melancholic contemplations
"Balance: 3584.64 HKD" (458.89 USD)
But mostly
It's about how McDull remembers his mother, Ms. Mak
And how she navigated through life
In the beautiful but overwhelming city of Hong Kong
What do these stories mean?
Why is this film so important to Hong Kongers?
Today, let's take a look at this beloved film
And explore the melancholic details
Hidden beneath this innocent facade
[ McDull & Memories of Hong Kong ]
[ Part One ]
Let's start at the beginning of the movie
It was 1995
Ms. Mak was about to give birth
In her delirium, she was visited by a floating plastic tub
Believing it to be a religious miracle
Ms. Mak prayed to it
Wishing his son can have good grades, good looks, or good fortune
She then names her son after the visiting object
Which in Cantonese, pronounced "dull"
Holy vision is a common story trope
Mother Mary, for example, was visited by an Angel
And later, three wise men
It usually denotes the birth of a great man or woman
But McDull isn't destined for greatness
And so, Ms. Mak was visited by an ordinary household object
It's a funny gag
But the choice of a plastic basin isn't entirely random
In Hong Kong, this round basin with a curved rim
Is long been associated with the working class
The versatility, practicality, and durability
Reflect the owner's quality
Hardworking people with honorable professions
The plastic variant, of course
Didn't get popular until industrialization
When mass production became possible
It's cheaper. it looks uglier. Its more perishable
Such is the perception of hard labor
In a postindustrial Hong Kong
Later in the film, we learn how hardworking Ms. Mak is
There's a whole song and dance about it, actually
And the lyrics say...
"Run if you are fat"
"Crawl if you are poor"
"The more you work, the more you earn"
Working and living is the only thing Ms. Mak worries about
Such is the reality for most if not all working-class Hong Kongers
Work late, wake up early
"Mom, I want to sleep."
"There once was a kid who sleeps early and wakes up late"
"He died. The End."
Ms. Mak saw a plastic tub
Because her work was her religion
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[ Part Two ]
Okay, so this part is a bit weird
In a travel montage through Hong Kong
We see typical sceneries found in the city
Traffic jams
Constructions
And... um...
Ads for hemorrhoid treatments
And Ms. Mak stands in front of it, too
How intriguing...?
In a later scene, we see McDull's birth certificate
And learn that he was born in 1995
Assuming Ms. Mak gave birth during her early 30s
That'd mean Ms. Mak was a Gen X
Born at be beginning of Hong Kong's economic uprising
You see, starting from the 60s
Hong Kong saw rapid urbanization and industrialization
The city's GDP grew 180 times from 1961 to 1997
And per capita also rose by 87 times
Gen X had greater access to higher education than their parents
Resulting in more white-collar workers
And since most jobs in a postindustrial economy
Are in the service industry
A lot of Gen X ended up working a desk job
Ms. Mak, for example, worked in real estate
Since working overtime was extremely common at the time
These workers would sit in an office day in and day out
Resulting in rampant hemorrhoids
That's it
That's the joke
[ Part Three ]
In the second half of the film
There is a story about how Hong Kong windsurfer Lee Lai-shan
Won the first Olympic medal for the city
Inspired by her
McDull decided to become an Olympic athlete, too
The city grew more passionate about sports
Culminating in Hong Kong's attempt
At hosting the 2006 Asian Games...
And losing the bid
This I still remember vividly
Indeed, the story of Lee Lai-shan
And the bid for Asian Games
Are both real events
Post '97
Hong Kong was losing relevancy on the international stage
Throughout the 90s
China was getting richer day by day
And so was many surrounding countries
Hong Kong was no longer looked on with envy
People watch movies made in Hollywood
Listens to music from Taiwan and South Korean
Kids play games and watch anime from Japan
It was as if every form of culture export from Hong Kong
All died at once
"What if we are not destined for great things?"
That was a question buried in the collective subconscious
I remember the bid for the Asian Games being a big deal
Big enough that I still remember the slogan
It was on the news constantly
And the mascot was everywhere
It was like one last attempt to put Hong Kong
Back in the limelight
So, when Hong Kong lost the vote to Doha
A city that, as the movie says
"Most Hong Kongers have never heard of before"
It was the final blow
The reaction was... big
Songs were written about the failure
And the lyrics were not polite
Railing against Hong Kong bureaucracy
And governmental apathy towards day-to-day societal issues
[ Part Four ]
At this point, it becomes obvious
Why McDull resonated with Hong Kongers so much
Despite Ms. Mak's wishes
McDull turned out to be just another ordinary kid
Despite the hope of many Hong Kongers
The city didn't turn out to be special
That feeling of stuck being an ordinary person
Was so relatable
During the release of this film
Hong Kong was still feeling the effects
Of the '97 Asian Financial Crisis
The economy trended downward
Hong Kong entered a period of deflation
Wages grew faster than the price of products
Businesses saw greater expenses and lower income
To the ordinary people
It meant the unemployment rate skyrocketed
Don't you love it when the line goes up we struggle with inflation
And the line goes down we suffered from unemployment
Ms. Mak, born during the economic uprising
Believes that hard work leads to a better life
"Long long ago, a kid studied hard."
"He got rich. The end."
The narrator, that is adult McDull
Lacks such ambition
"I realized if there's nothing there"
"Then there's nothing there"
"What cannot be cannot be"
McDull's plan for life is to finish his education
And then buy a house for his mom
There is no further commentary on that
Yet somehow, we all know how impossible that is
At the end of the film, adult McDull says he's doing so-so
And he has a negative net worth
But he has a pair of muscular calves
Thanks to his Olympic training back in the day
He believes if his mom sees him right now
She'd be proud
Though everything throughout the film is ordinary
The only thing that isn't
Is the love between the two
Ms. Mak loves McDull
As much as Hong Kongers love the city
[ Afterword ]
If you've seen the film before
You may have noticed I barely even scratched the surface
I don't want to spoil your experience with the film
It's not a movie for everyone
The humor can get pretty repetitive
But if you give it a chance
You may be surprised just how... emotional it can get
It's so rare to see a contemplative movie like this
It's shiny, like a mirror
When you look at it
It starts telling a fairytale about you
About the dreams you once had
About the job you have
About the people you missed
About the people you love
At least, that is what I got from this film
As we grow to love this ordinary piglet
We also slowly
Learn to love ourselves