The Last Dance (破地獄) Lessons
I have wanted to watch this meaningful movie about life and death. Finally, yesterday we went to the cinema to watch it. It’s a great movie that portrays the reality of the funeral industry and the harsher aspects of life. This movie teaches us about the tradition of 破地獄, ensuring that future generations understand its significance and the reasons for performing it for the deceased. I guess, in the far future generation, will this ritual still continue?
The first lesson I learned from the movie is when the main character, Dominic, told Master Man that the living have their own hell to break. This is also the part that he gained respect from the Master. I think Dominic finally understands the real purpose of the industry. Helping a grieving family is important and meaningful. While we can’t take away the family’s sorrow, we can help lighten their burden by managing the wake. This allows them to grieve and spend time with guests offering their condolences. I am grateful that I already did my 3 days nights funeral pre-planning with one of the Nirvana agency.
The second lesson was when Dominic’s wife told him about her pregnancy, and he didn’t want to have the baby. As he was already not young, by the time the child grew up, and where love had built up, then both got to feel sad when he passed away. If the children don’t feel sad, then he is even sadder. The main idea is that he doesn’t want to burden his children. By the time they establish their careers, he’ll already have two elderly people to care for. I feel this really reflects most families, unless they are rich enough to hire a full-time maid. In most families, both husband and wife will come out to work to find money. Not only do they have children to take care of, they will only have elderly parents. To make it more challenging is when the parent is either not well or has mobility issues. So they need more cares which will tired out the person that taking care of them. Hiring a full-time maid is not cheap; putting them in a better place in a nursing home with 24 hours care is expensive. To make it worse, some parents will even request for a single person room. I guess, this is part of life that everyone has to go through.
The third lesson highlights the downside of some children avoiding responsibility for their parents. Especially the son, as in Chinese family the son is supposed to take care of his own parent. Daughter will marry out, and be part of her husband’s family. Often, sons neglect their responsibilities, leaving daughters to care for their parents. This is also what happened in the movie.
The Last Dance Movie Synopsis
“The Last Dance” (Chinese: 破·地獄) is a 2024 Hong Kong drama film directed by Anselm Chan. The story follows Dominic Ngai, a wedding planner whose business suffers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing financial difficulties, he seizes an opportunity to manage a funeral parlour owned by his girlfriend Jade’s uncle. There, he meets Master Man, a traditional Taoist priest known for performing the “Break Hell’s Gate” ritual. Initially, Master Man is skeptical of Dominic’s commitment to the funeral industry. However, as Dominic introduces modernized services and personalized funeral arrangements, he gradually earns Master Man’s respect. The film delves into themes of tradition versus modernity, gender roles within Taoist practices, and personal growth, particularly through the character of Yuet, Master Man’s daughter, who challenges patriarchal norms by aspiring to become a Taoist priestess.
The film features performances by Dayo Wong as Dominic Ngai, Michael Hui as Master Man, Michelle Wai as Yuet, and Chu Pak Hong as Ben, Master Man’s son. It was shot on location at the Tung Wah Coffin Home and the International Funeral Parlour, marking the first time these venues have been used for filming. “The Last Dance” premiered at the 44th Hawaii International Film Festival on October 11, 2024, and was released in Hong Kong theaters on November 9, 2024. The film has been both a critical and commercial success, grossing over HKD$122 million as of early December, making it the highest-grossing domestic film of all time in Hong Kong.
Overall, “The Last Dance” is celebrated for its poignant narrative, strong performances, and its thoughtful depiction of Hong Kong’s funeral traditions.
Breaking the Hell’s Gate Taoism Ritual
The “Breaking the Hell’s Gate” ritual, known as 破地狱 (Pò Dì Yù) in Chinese, is a significant Taoist funerary ceremony aimed at liberating the soul of the deceased from the underworld, facilitating its journey towards reincarnation. This ritual is particularly prevalent among Cantonese and Hakka communities, with variations in practice reflecting regional customs.
In the Cantonese tradition, the ritual involves setting up symbolic representations of the “Gates of Hell,” which include a small pot of boiling oil (symbolizing the torments of hell), tiles (representing the gates), and eggs (denoting the hell soldiers). The Taoist priest leads a procession around this setup, performing specific rituals such as breaking the gates with a sword and spitting water into the boiling oil to create a burst of fire. This dramatic enactment symbolizes the liberation of the deceased’s soul from the underworld.
Among the Hakka people, the ritual, also referred to as “Breaking the Sand” or “Breaking the Wall,” is performed after a funeral. It is based on the ancient story of Mulian Rescues His Mother, where a devoted son embarks on a journey to save his mother from the torments of hell. The ritual’s purpose is to ensure that the deceased’s soul is liberated from purgatory and allowed to transition peacefully into the afterlife. The ceremony involves symbolic representations, chanting sutras, and performing specific actions to guide the soul towards liberation.
The primary purpose of the “Breaking the Hell’s Gate” ritual is to ensure that the deceased’s soul is not trapped in the underworld due to past misdeeds. By performing this ritual, family members fulfill their filial duties, offering solace to both the departed soul and the bereaved, and ensuring the deceased’s peaceful transition to the afterlife.