''Camera'' is a 2014 science fiction thriller directed by James Leong and co-written by Ben Slater and Leong. A Hong Kong-Singaporean co-production, it stars Sean Li as a surveillance expert who falls in love with his newest target, played by Venus Wong. It premiered at the 2014

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (), or BiFan, formerly known as Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival or PiFan, is an international film festival held annually in July in Bucheon, South Korea. Inaugurated in 1997, the fe ...

. It is Leong's first

narrative film Narrative film, fictional film or fiction film is a motion picture that tells a fictional or fictionalized story, event or narrative. Commercial narrative films with running times of over an hour are often referred to as feature films, or featur ...

Plot

In near-future Hong Kong, Ming receives a cybernetic eye to replace his biological eye, which went blind in his childhood. He uses this replacement to record everything he sees. On his latest surveillance job, he falls in love with the subject, a woman named Clare.

Cast

* Sean Li as Ming *

Venus Wong Venus Wong Man-yik () is a Hong Kong actress currently contracted to TVB and TVB Music Group. Biography Early life Wong was born in 1992 in Huizhou, Guangdong, China and moved to Hong Kong when she was 1 years old along with her mother. She a ...

as Clare * Calvin Poon as Dr. Chan

Po-Chih Leong Leong Po-Chih (born 31 December 1939) is a British-Chinese film director. He has worked in England, Hong Kong, and the United States. Early life On 31 December 1939, Leong was born in England to parents from Taishan, Guangdong. His father wa ...

, director James Leong's father, appears in a cameo as Ming's father.

Production

Prior to production, Leong received funding from the Network of Asian Fantastic Films in the form of the Puchon award. Shooting took place during January and February 2012 in Hong Kong.

Release

''Camera'' premiered at the

on 19 July 2014.

Reception

Richard Kuipers of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote that the film fails to live up to its premise and does not expand enough on Hong Kong's futuristic timeline, though he said it "never becomes dull". Bérénice Reynaud of ''

Senses of Cinema ''Senses of Cinema'' is a quarterly online film magazine founded in 1999 by filmmaker Bill Mousoulis. Based in Melbourne, Australia, ''Senses of Cinema'' publishes work by film critics from all over the world, including critical essays, career ...

'' criticized the ''Variety'' review, saying that it missed out on how the film addresses surveillance issues in modern Hong Kong. Clarence Tsui of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' wrote, "Beauty thrives but also distracts the director from his aspirations of fusing fiction with social commentary." James March of

Twitch Film ScreenAnarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...

wrote that the film "showcases the director's strong visual sensibility", but the dull screenplay causes it to fail to live up to its "intriguing premise".

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, camera_2014 2014 films 2010s science fiction thriller films Hong Kong science fiction films Hong Kong thriller films Singaporean science fiction films 2010s Cantonese-language films Films about security and surveillance Films set in Hong Kong Films set in the future Films shot in Hong Kong Hong Kong neo-noir films Singaporean thriller films 2010s Hong Kong films