"Drifting on Turbid Water" ── Precipitation at the bottom of society

Jun 26, 2022

There are traces of homeless people all over the world, but do you know why they appear? This time, I would like to introduce to you a Hong Kong film about street sleepers - "Drifting in Turbid Water". "Drafting in Turbid Water" will be released in 2021, and the story revolves around a group of people who sleep rough in deep water. The film was nominated for many awards, such as the 58th Golden Horse Awards, the 15th Asian Film Awards, the 28th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards, and more. This movie is different from mainstream movies. It tells the stories of little people living in Hong Kong. So, what is the life of street sleepers like?

The story of "Drifting on Turbid Water" is adapted from a real person. In 2012, government personnel swept away the supplies of street sleepers in Sham Shui Po without prior notice. The whole thing violated relevant laws and regulations. Therefore, the street sleepers were dissatisfied with the government's actions and decided to file a complaint with the government for compensation. The film is based on this incident, also known as the 2012 Tongzhou Street clearance incident. In the movie, Hui Ge was cleared by political personnel as soon as he was released from prison. Under his anger, he accepted the suggestion of the social worker and decided to pursue compensation and apologize to the government. Although the government was willing to pay each street sleeper a settlement compensation of $2,000 per person, they refused to apologize. Will Brother Hui accept the government's reconciliation?

Hongkong?

 Brother Hui: "Sham Shui Wo is a slum. Now they build these expensive buildings, where can the poor live?"

Around the world, the gap between the rich and the poor is widening, and there are hidden slums in different places. It is believed that very few countries will be completely free of street sleepers. They live in the city, but they don't live like city people. Where they are is regarded as a tumor and is regarded as affecting the appearance of the city. I remember that there was a reality show "Battle of the Poor" in Hong Kong, in which a rich guest was invited to experience the life of a homeless person. The guest had all bank cards, cash, and cell phones confiscated at the start of the show. At the beginning, maybe he was thinking of the common people, thinking that the street sleepers appeared because they were not looking for jobs, so the guests went looking for jobs, but when the shop owner asked to leave a contact number, he realized that he didn’t have any at all. Contact information can be left. In "Drifting", although the film does not capture how the street sleepers earn their daily expenses and how hard their lives are, the film captures how much people despise the street sleepers. In the movie, Brother Hui said: "I throw away my things and say they are garbage. We are garbage, and we may be thrown away." "Homeless people", or street sleepers are regarded as pests in society. They have no place to live, they are wandering around, in my opinion, they are like nomads, in this city, they can't find their home. They lose their identities in the city, and there is not much to prove their identities. I don't know if you have ever wondered why they became homeless? Is it because they have sinned, or have they done something wrong in the past? Maybe, maybe not. In the movie, Brother Hui had the following dialogue with Sister Chen, who was also a homeless sleeper:

Brother Hui: "This place is so small, but it's full of people."

Chen Mei: "No way, everyone wants to come to Hong Kong."

Brother Hui: "Is Hong Kong really that good? There is no success in this matter."

Hong Kong, a place that looks very cosmopolitan and urban to outsiders, has attracted countless people to settle in. Of course, there are not so many in today's circumstances, but what we can't do otherwise is that Hong Kong once had a golden age. As the population of Hong Kong gradually increases, many people who cannot keep up with the pace have been left behind. Just like someone pouring water into a half-full glass of water, the water will eventually overflow and overflow, and people will be crowded. Those who come out are those who are easily replaced, or who are less competitive compared to others. When everyone has their place in a city, will there be no homeless? In my opinion, the rough sleepers are like the crystals of a saturated solution, and they have the most crystal-clear vision to see through the inferiority of the city. They will know where the food is, where the supplies are, who is fellow, who is alien, and so on. Seriously, after watching the movie, my perception of them changed, and while not every homeless person has amazing talent, they do have skills and creativity that some don't.

Money or an apology?

 Miss He: "If we reconcile and get money, objectively speaking, we can count as a victory. Is an apology really that important?"
Brother Hui: "Why did you suggest us to sue them in the first place? For the money?"
Miss He: "Of course not."
Brother Hui: "What's that for?"

This movie is very moving. What impresses people is not just the truth of the plot, but the message the film wants to convey: regardless of the rich and the poor, if you do something wrong, you must apologize. In the movie, Hui Ge and others successfully obtained compensation, but only if they accepted the settlement plan proposed by the government: each received 2,000 yuan, which did not include the government's apology. The street sleepers other than Brother Hui are very happy, because this is the first time they can get compensation after being swept up by the government, but Brother Hui does not think so. So he refused to settle, which meant that all the complainants could not get compensation, so he had the following dialogue with other rough sleepers:

Brother Hui: "What do you want? I want an apology."

Big win: "Let you win an apology, you're not just an addict."

Brother Hui: "The government should apologize for doing something wrong. Don't think I'm an addict and just bully me."

An apology is far more important than compensation. Many people think that Brother Hui's approach is stupid. Why don't you just take the money and treat it like nothing happened? Many people will have such a realistic side, even social workers persuade Brother Hui to accept reconciliation, but in fact what Brother Hui is seeking is not compensation, compensation is only a formal punishment, and more importantly, the government’s apology for his wrongdoing. It's true that it's illegal for the government to sweep homeless people without advance notice, but why would they do it? I think the reason is that they don't take the street sleepers seriously. In their eyes, maybe as Hui-ge said, the street sleepers are "rubbish". How about the cleaners, or when we're cleaning out the trash, do we notify first? No, because when it's time to clear it should be clear, and in the eyes of the government, that's probably how homeless people are. They are unwilling to apologize, not only because they are unwilling to admit their mistakes, but also because they are unwilling to apologize to the lower end of society. This is not the first time that the government has violated the law. As the government, they should be the umbrella of the residents, but they can't. Instead, they have become the eviction of the residents. In the movie, Brother Hui said a heart-wrenching sentence: "What did I do wrong? I want justice, I want those bad people to apologize, how can I reconcile? I won't reconcile." A city wants to move forward Development must address internal problems, not ignore them. In order to solve the housing problem, Hong Kong sells land to builders to build skyscrapers that are beyond the reach of Hong Kong citizens. When even Hong Kong citizens with income cannot climb, how can street sleepers have a place to live?

Society is built to help each other and cooperate to survive better. However, when society is saturated, many people who seem to create lower value for the public are eliminated by the market. This may seem a bit dystopian, but that's how society works. We may not be able to do something for them to change their lives, but it is good that people who have the ability can help them in a timely manner and provide them with a meal. In the movie, Brother Hui uses his death to tell people his determination not to reconcile. However, how many Hui brothers are there in the world? In 2012, the Tongzhou Street clean-up incident caused a low level of discussion. The main reason is that the society does not care much about this group of marginalized people, and also because the media is not very interested, as Hui Ge said: "They don't want to listen at all. Our demands, suing the government and wanting an apology, etc., they are not interested. They just want to know why we smoke white powder, why we go to jail, why we are homeless, and they imagine stories of weeping tears, so that people can sympathize with us and raise ratings.” The media loves topical themes. social justice? These seemingly heavy topics are not widely disseminated by the general public. I believe everyone knows the reason behind it. The so-called "Drafting in Turbid Water" means that street sleepers cannot find a place to stay in the cup of "turbid water" in the city and go with the current. Therefore, if you want to help them, you must first change yourself. A little warmth can help others. Why not do it?

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