| Despite that one too many implausibilities crop up during the final reel and the fact that this really is more of a pedestrian slasher-thriller, curious ones of this new wave of filmmaking and directors should give Stretch a go. Director Wong Ching's proves himself to be very adept at creating atmosphere of dread and set against the village backdrop, the low budget definitely helps to enhance a sense of reality.
Strangely enough, he leaves his main social commentary outside of the main narrative and characters. His target are the youths and the anarchy nature to them directed towards a society based so much on respect for your elders. True to form for these new wave of directors back then, there is a pessimistic tone to this. Today, the commentary doesn't seem very polished and rather over the top, but back then, these were new voices of Hong Kong cinema and it's interesting to examine this era. Some directors never really managed to adapt themselves to the changing Hong Kong cinema and subsequently faded away. |
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