Though uneven in some places, Queerpanorama proves an unexpectedly powerful queer drama about contemporary Hong Kong.
Queerpanorama follows an unnamed gay protagonist through a series of hookups with various men. In the course of these sexual encounters, he disguises his identity, claiming a different background each time–invariably drawn from the life story of his previous sexual partner.
Despite his attempts to disguise it though, the protagonist’s own identity eventually emerges through the course of these hook-ups. As it transpires, he is a veteran of the 2019 Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, known variously as the Anti-ELAB Movement or the Be Water Revolution. Though questioned by various partners as to whether he is fleeing the specter of social rejection from his parents, he denies having been ostracized over his gay identity. On the contrary, he claims to have been exiled from his home on the basis of his support for the protests.
And yet, as a character study, the protagonist’s identity remains quite mysterious. A number of sexual encounters for him that begin with his wearing some new identity end with him waking up mysteriously naked and alone, in some urban or forest environment. What emerges, then, is a sense of his profound loneliness.
If Queerpanorama has a flaw, it may be the uneven acting talent of its characters. The protagonist is excellently acted, but his hook-up partners–mostly a variety of Westerners–tend to vary. Most well-acted is a German widower who does not have sex with the protagonist, but to whom the protagonist speaks at length about history and past partners. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a film with such political preoccupations, another one of the individuals he hooks up with is Taiwanese. Although this character’s Taiwaneseness comes off as stereotypical, this encounter is executed well enough.
Regardless, in spite of its occasional flaws, Queerpanorama is a daring and original work with interesting subject matter. Queerpanorama’s stumbles mostly derive from its characters’ interactions, which exist within the inherent challenges of presenting an ensemble cast. Additionally, Queerpanorama does not sufficiently develop linkages between queer and Hong Kong identities, despite the fact that its protagonist’s hookups with foreign partners provides ample opportunity to do so. .
Even so, Queerpanorama is beautifully shot, and self-evidently is a work with multiple layers of meaning. The movie is definitely worth watching.
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Queerpanorama (Chinese: 眾生相)—Hong Kong. Dialog in Cantonese. Directed by Jun Li. Running time 1hr 27min. First released February 15, 2025 at the Berlin International Film Festival. Starring Arm Anatphikorn, Jayden Cheung, Zenni Corbin.
This article is part of our dedicated coverage of the 2025 Alula Film Festival.
This article is also published in No Man Is An Island, an online publication focused on the connections between everyday life and politics. No Man Is An Island is brought to you by the team behind New Bloom Magazine.