Edinburgh International Film Festival 2021

Faceless is a documentary that takes us to the frontline of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong to meet four such young people.

This is one of the most fast paced, intense and cinematic documentaries I have ever seen. Faceless is a very insightful and engaging look at Hong Kong politics through the eyes of four young protestors, The Student, The Artist, The Daughter and The Believer, all of which have different personalities and view points whilst all fighting for the same cause. I went into this knowing very little about the subject matter but this documentary is so informative to the point that you don’t need to know anything before going into it. As informative as the interviews are, it’s the footage that’s really striking here and deeply upsetting at times too.

This isn’t an easy watch by any means, it’s very tough to sit through at times given the subject matter, but this raw and harrowing footage provides the biggest eye opener of all and demonstrates everything that’s being spoken about from the eyes of the protestors. It’s amazing how the filmmakers manage to incorporate some truly phenomenal cinematography into this, making the footage even more effective as it presents the style of a film whilst showing these horrific real life events. The soundtrack also stands out throughout and always feels necessary to the tone, and never feels out of place.

Overall, Faceless is up there as one of the best documentaries I have seen so far this year. It’s raw, intense, cinematic and very informative, providing an insight into Hong Kong politics through the eyes of the protestors, in turn, providing something that’s difficult to watch at times but also optimistic at points as we see these protestors and their passion to stand up for what they believe in. Absolutely essential viewing. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️