Brother’s Keeper (巨輪) is a TV drama broadcasted in 2013. It
is about the bonding between two brothers and is set between 1980 and 2013. Kiu
Tin Seng Sam (Ruco Chan) and his half-brother Lo Wai Son (Edwin Siu) were separated
and confronted different destiny in Hong Kong and Macau respectively. Several years
later, they finally reunited. In Brother’s
Keeper, the story not only illustrates the bonding but also provides a means
for audience to remember the past and reinterprets the stereotyped
representation of identity.
Collective memory is successfully illustrated in Brother’s Keeper by the narrative of important events in the past
30 years, for example, the financial crisis in 1998 and the outbreak of SARS in
2003. It arouses audience’s collective memory as if they are experiencing that
particular period at present when consuming the drama. Undoubtedly, memories of
important era are preserved by individuals (Halbwachs, 1992). Thus, the framework
of Hong Kong history in the drama definitely provides a means for audience to share
same cultural experience even though they were not the victims at that period.
It is concurrent that Brother’s
Keeper can be treated as a typical representation of the narrative of past memory.
Moreover, the drama emphasizes a new angle for audience to rethink the
stereotyped identity established in the previous culture texts, particularly in the stereotyped gender identity and mainlander boundary. Brother’s Keeper disputes the stereotype of female representation. The
main female characters Rachel Cheuk (Linda Chung) and Yiu Man Ying (Kristal
Tin) portray a reverse image of the subordinate female in gender binary
opposition. They are represented as strong and independent women. Rachel runs
her own designing business and also strives for the love with Sam regardless of
her parent’s objection whereas Man Ying is depicted as a fierce woman and the
brain-trust of Wai Son’s business. Some people may question that Rachel and Man
Ying will not able to deserve the success in the new modern working female
image without Sam and Wai Son’s support and aid. However, it is arguable that
Rachel and Man Ying’s determination of independence reveals a challenge towards
the stereotyped female representation.
Besides, due to the shift in
power-geometry in recent years, the negative image of mainlander represented in
the past no longer applies in Brother’s
Keeper. Although Sam is an illegal immigrant from Foshan (佛山), he is depicted as a motivated character
who fights for a better life in Hong Kong. With the endeavour, he becomes a
policeman in Hong Kong and experiences a good promotion in a few years time. Meanwhile, Wai Son who migrated to Macau
illegally in teenage has finally owned his own business with a considerable
development. The narrative of Sam and Wai Son’s success gives a new attitude
towards mainlander in the sense of tending to be positive, unlike the inferior ‘Ah Chian’
image presented in The Good, the Bad and
the Ugly (1979). Both Sam and Wai Son construct a hardworking and decent image
of mainlander and are recognized by the public with a higher class position. This
provides a converse representation of the binary opposition between mainlander
and HongKongese that the past TV dramas portrayed.
Although Brother’s Keeper
is a drama that mainly concentrates on male bonding, it provides sympathy among
audience together with demonstrating a fresh representation of identity
compared to the old TV dramas, in which new cultural identities may be
constructed by consuming the story.
(567 words)
Yeung Ka Man (10487741 / 21238542)
References
Halbwachs, M. (1992). (Ed. & translated by Coser,
L.A.) Chapter 1-4. On Collective Memory.
Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 41-53.
巨輪. (2013). TVB.COM Limited.
<http://programme.tvb.com/drama/brotherskeeper/>
No comments:
Post a Comment