[2024.05.08] LI LINLIN: "THE DIRECTOR SAW ANOTHER SIDE OF ME."

Li Linlin returns to play the role of a lesbian after more than 30 years in the film industry. She did some homework before filming, carefully observed the same-sex couples she knew around her, and paid attention to their daily behavior. 

Li Linlin and Patra Au play loving partners who have lived together for decades

ALL SHALL BE WELL won the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film at the Berlin Film Festival earlier, and director Ray Yeung personally accepted the award 

The ALL SHALL BE WELL premiere took place last month. Li linlin was supported by her husband John Chiang (third left), son John Chiang Jr. and his girlfriend (left), daughter Chiang Yilan and son in law Raymond Cho

Li Linlin (left) praises director Ray Yeung (right) for his careful observation and careful setting of each character's mentality. She sees that both old and new actors know what they are doing.
courtesy of mingpao.com 

The 2019 movie SUK SUK tells the story of two men, each with a family, falling in love in their twilight years. Faced with conventional bias and moral struggles, director and screenwriter Yeung Yiu Hoi has made another new film ALL SHALL BE WELL (CHUNG GUM YI HAU) after 5 years. This time was from the perspective of a lesbian and explored the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Hong Kong today. The film earlier won the Berlin Film Festival Teddy Award for Best Feature Film. Yeung Yiu Hoi admitted that he was gay and presented the world he saw based on his feelings, saying that to a certain extent, his DNA was used in the filming. Li Linlin returned to play the role of a lesbian this time, not only because the script attracted her but also because of the encouragement of her husband John Chiang Dai Wai. She realized that "the addiction to acting was a hard habit to break", and she even talked about the experience of a "girl-girl" kiss in the film.

ALL SHALL BE WELL tells the story of Angie (Patra Au Ka Man) and her same-sex partner Pat (Li Linlin) who have lived together for 40 years. They have been an open couple. However when Pat suddenly passed away, because she did not make a will when she was alive, conflicts and frictions arose between Angie and Pat's family members as they dealt with posthumous matters and fought over property ownership. The film brutally revealed that human nature often became selfish and realistic for the sake of self-interest.

Li Linlin has been away from acting for more than 30 years. This time she came back for ALL SHALL BE WELL (CHUNG GUM YI HAU), which was the first time she has played a lesbian in her career. In addition to the fresh script and the attractive subject matter, it would also be able to arouse the public's attention to the rights of same-sex couples and also remind everyone "do they want to do now and don't procrastinate, otherwise things are unpredictable and sometimes it may be too late." Moreover, she liked SUK SUK very much. Even though she has never met Ray Yeung Yiu Hoi before, he still opened her eyes. "Husband John (Chiang Dai Wai) used to be a stunt person with Tai Bo. After watching the Tai Bo starred gay movie SUK SUK, the performance of each actor in the film left a deep impression. Then Director Yeung approached me with the ALL SHALL BE WELL story, which I was intrigued by after listening to it. Also my family encouraged me to give it a try, especially John Gor. After reading the synopsis, I thought making this type of subject would be very rare. I said, 'Acting is like taking drugs. Once addicted, it is difficult to quit. Whenever someone tempts me I get itchy’; it turns out it’s true!"

Li Linlin revealed that she knew many same-sex couples around her, both men and women. She believed that the topics when chatting with gay men were more open, while lesbians were more reserved. She also noticed their behavior in their everyday lives as homework for taking on the role of Pat. "Actually, Pat and I I have similar qualities. I am petite in stature. In the past, I mostly played more elegant or costumed characters; but the director saw another side of me, which was that no matter my behavior, the way I speak, or even what I wear daily, I am more androgynous; and my personality has always been independent, and I was even bolder when I was young. However now that I am older and my health is not as good as before, I need my family to take care of me more."

At the end of the film, Angie recalled hiking with Pat. The two talked about old times and couldn't help but kiss each other. The process was natural and smooth, without any sense of abruptness and disobedience, which showed the professionalism of the actors. Li Linlin said that the sky was clear when filming the scene, in which they expressed their feelings at the reservoir; but suddenly it started to rain, so they walked into the pavilion to wait. The sky was dark at the time, and everyone felt that it matched the atmosphere and thought the result would be better than when the sun was shining brightly; thus creating that scene. "At the beginning, the director asked us to touch each other a little. I made eye contact with Au Ka Man during the dialogue, I naturally held up her face with one hand and kissed her gently; but later I felt that it was not enough. Since the two of us were so close and affectionate from the bottom of our hearts, I really wanted to protect her, so we kissed again naturally. At that moment, Ka Man and I weren't embarrassed at all, and the process was smooth sailing in one take." Li Linlin didn't have any specific subject matter in her mind she wanted to shoot. She believed that a successful movie requires a good script, good actors, a good director and the cooperation of a behind-the-scenes team. She claimed that today's film industry belonged to newcomers, praising the young and new generation actors in the film for being very professional and dedicated.

Li Linlin once defeated cancer. After recovering, she felt very lazy and did not do things for fear of losing motivation in life. "After recovering from the illness, I didn't develop a habit of doing exercise. Because I have a cheerful and optimistic personality, I believe that birth, old age, illness and death are inevitable in life. It is very important to maintain a positive attitude towards life while facing it with the mentality that it's no big deal." She recalled that her family took good care of her when she was seriously ill. Her son-in-law, Raymond Cho Wing Lim, was so considerate; he cooked for her every week.

Li Linlin's 28-year-old son, John Chiang Jr. (Chiang Cheuk Man) has devoted himself to the entertainment industry and worked on music and film. She encouraged her son to boldly pursue his dreams and decide his future path only if he would have no results after two years. At present, John Chiang Jr. and his girlfriend have a stable relationship but it is still too early to start a family. Li Linlin said, "You must first be able to support yourself before you are qualified to talk about starting a family. If you want to have a family, you have to take responsibility. Would you still have to rely on your parents? Wait until you some results in your career first. Let nature take its course, I'm not in a hurry to be a mother in law!"

Director Ray Yeung Yaiu Hoi did some research before starting the filming of ALL SHALL BE WE (CHUNG GUM YI HAU). Only after reviewing clips of Li Linlin's previous performances did he lock in on her for the role. He was confident that he has chosen the right person, "I saw her playing an independent and modern woman in FIVE EASY PIECES, bringing French comedy humor to TEA FOR TWO, the cross dressing in BUTTERFLY LOVERS, I found that Li Linlin would be OK as a man. So I contacted her through John Gor. We met to discuss the script, and when she agreed to perform I was really very happy." Yeung Yiu Hoi said that he has arranged auditions with other actresses, but Li Linlin was definitely his favorite. In fact, when he attended the Berlin Film Festival, he received no complaints from lesbian organizations about the actors not being convincing enough. In addition the reviews for this movie has been decent. Through the protagonist of the film's story, Yeung Yiu Hoi drew public attention to LGBTQ+ social issues and spoke out for gays to fight for equal rights. "I understand that making this type of subject is more difficult than making other films, but I feel that I have a sense of duty to." As a gay man himself, he gave an example "The processes of raising funds and finding actors are difficult. You seem to have to jump through hoops and even answer to the distributors. Although it is difficult, you have to continue filming; because if you don't mention it, no one may bring it up again. I really want to use my own feelings as a gay person to present the world I see, so to a certain extent, my DNA is used to make the movie." He revealed that ALL SHALL BE WELL took about 4 years from script writing, preparation, production to release. He has always maintained his passion for the movie, otherwise it would have been difficult to persevere.

When asked about in the film the family members who, in order to get back the inheritance from Pat, damaged the good relationship they have established with Angie for many years. What was the price of family ties? Yeung Yiu Hoi said that he wanted the audience to reflect on that, "If Pat was really a man, the result might be different; mainly because same-sex couples are still considered abnormal in today's world, Pat and Angie's relationship is like fog, without any qualification or status; the society has not yet accepted them. Therefore, when a same-sex partner dies, not to mention the right to open the safety deposit box and handle the posthumous affairs; even Pat's family members, each for their own interests, worked together to kick Angie out and competed for the property under Pat's name. It all felt so natural." He reminded the public of an important message, which is to think carefully before facing life and death; making a will in advance can avoid family disputes over property. Yeung Yiu Hoi understood that some people were hesitant or afraid of making a will, but he believed that the sooner action would be taken, the better. He has already made a will early to save himself from future worries.