Cantonese diva Anita Mui goes by a few different names: she was popularly known as both ‘the daughter of Hong Kong’ and ‘the Madonna of the East’, full name Anita Mui Yim-fong.
The heartbreaking biopic about her life, career, and untimely death is simply titled Anita, however. That’s all her legions of fans need to know in order to grab tickets for a trip back through Cantopop legend (and probably some tears too).
Fashion model Louise Wong makes her big-screen debut as the pop singer and actress, known for her bold femininity and enduring string of hits in an ever-changing industry. The film apparently begins with Anita‘s final concerts, performed only weeks before her ultimate death by cervical cancer at age 40.
At these concerts in her beloved home of Hong Kong, Anita Mui wore an iconic wedding dress to symbolically “marry the stage”. That’ll be deeply stirring to see re-enacted, but the (un-subtitled) trailer below also hints at plenty of behind-the-scenes drama and hardship before we get to those final performances.
One element of the star’s life that goes unmentioned by this slick new film is her activism in the wake of 1989’s Tiananmen Square massacre: a review from the China Morning Post notes the omission and says that the film instead focuses on her “ultimately futile romantic relationships and highlights her charitable endeavours.”
If you feel like crying and singing along, Anita could be the perfect transporting trip to Cantopop glory: a nostalgic concert and memorial event all in one.
