Hollywood drama Civil War fuels ‘superiority’ debate

The Hollywood film Civil War has sparked a political discussion in the country over a scene in which an actor from Taiwan plays a Hong Kong journalist who is identified as mainland Chinese by an American soldier and shot dead as a result.

Many people who take a nationalist position view the scene as a satirical take on Hongkongers and other groups of Chinese people who consider themselves superior and worship the West.

Directed by Alex Garland, the film is set against the backdrop of a fictional American civil war where a group of journalists, led by Lee Smith, played by Kirsten Dunst, tries to cross the front lines to interview the president before his expected surrender.

The film premiered in the United States on April 12 and despite having a budget of just US$50 million has grossed US$45.7 million in North America alone, with global ticket sales reaching US$67.3 million by April 22.

While it has been well received in the US and globally, scoring 81 per cent on the Rotten Tomatoes website, it has left many Asian audiences, especially Hongkongers, feeling uneasy, particularly owing to one poignant scene.

The scene in question sees US soldiers stop the journalists to question their origins.

While the American journalists pass easily, an Asian male journalist called Tony nervously replies: “I’m from Hong Kong.”

The soldier responds: “Oh, China?” and upon Tony’s confirmation, the soldier nods and pulls the trigger, killing him.

Notably, Tony is portrayed by Nelson Lee, a Taiwanese-Canadian actor, adding another level of irony to the scene.

One viewer remarked: “A Taiwanese actor playing a Hong Kong journalist, being shot by an American soldier who considered him Chinese. How ironic!”

Despite the film not being released on the mainland, it has sparked a vigorous discussion on social media. Some said the scene reflected a rare moment of political correctness in American cinema in which the views of China and the United States align.

“Thinking negatively, a Chinese person gets shot by an American soldier. Thinking positively, the US acknowledges that Hong Kong is part of China,” said one online observer.

It ignited discussion about identity and Hongkongers and the group of so-called gao hua, which literally means “higher Chinese”.

Some people on social media pointed out that despite these individuals feeling superior to other Chinese groups and strongly embracing foreign cultures, they were still regarded as Chinese by Westerners.