Mad World (film)

Mad World (Cantonese: 一念無明) is a 2016 Hong Kong drama film directed by Wong Chun and starring Shawn Yue, Eric Tsang, Elaine Jin and Charmaine Fong. It is Wong's directorial debut after winning the First Feature Film Initiative. It was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

Premise
Tung, a former financial analyst who is struggling with bipolar disorder, is placed in the custody of his truck-driver father after being discharged from a mental health institution.

Cast

 * Shawn Yue as Tung—a mentally ill stockbroker
 * Eric Tsang as Tung's father—a cross-town trucker who takes in his son
 * Elaine Jin as Tung's mother—mentally ill woman who was killed by her son
 * Charmaine Fong as Jenny—Tung's former fiancée
 * Wong Chun as Tung's younger brother (voice)

Development
Wong and Chan cited Cageman (1992), about an impoverished community living in cage homes, as a major influence.

Production
The film was shot in 16 days, mostly on location in subdivided flats, and with a budget of around US$257000. As the film was selected by the First Feature Film Initiative (along with Weeds on Fire and Opus 1), they were unable to procure outside investments. Actors Eric Tsang and Shawn Yue both waived their salaries when they joined the cast.

Release
The film premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. It opened in Hong Kong cinemas on 30 March 2017. The film grossed almost 10x its budget in theaters. A fraction of the profits were used to compensate actors Eric Tsang and Shawn Yue, who waived their salaries, and the few crew members who worked for free.

Reception
Clarence Tsui for The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "While not exactly a full-fledged success, Mad World offers an intimate showcase of a promising director, an actor who can do much more than he’s usually asked to, and a kind of non-manic storytelling that pays for those who are patient enough to pay attention." Edmund Lee of the South China Morning Post gave the film 3.5/5 stars. He wrote, "Mad World is not quite the profound reflection of reality its makers intended it to be, but despite its flaws this is a brave film."

The film was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.