Mark Reviews Movies: DENISE HO: BECOMING THE SONG

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Review by Mark Dujsik | June 30, 2020

On its face, the story of Denise Ho, a pop superstar in Hong Kong whose career suffered after becoming politically active, is equal parts intriguing, inspiring, and infuriating. Denise Ho: Becoming the Song, a slapdash sort of documentary about the singer/activist, doesn't come close to matching the inherent strength of its subject or her story.

Director Sue Williams provides a winding timeline of Ho's life and career, beginning with an acoustic performance in New York City after she was ostensibly banned from performing in Hong Kong and mainland China. The impetus for that "unofficial" blacklisting was her support of political autonomy for Hong Kong, especially her participation in protests—one of which occupied a central part of the city for almost three months.

In case it isn't clear, there's a lot to admire about Ho—from her singing, to her onstage presence, to her dedication to a cause to such a degree that she's willing to put herself and her professional life in jeopardy. The most inspiring thing, perhaps, is her obvious sincerity in her politics, as well as a level of humility in becoming, not a star standing out in the protests, but just one of the millions in the movement.

We get this sense as Williams' documentary moves without an apparent narrative or thematic path through Ho's biography. Major events in and periods of the singer's life step over each other, as the movie moves from Ho's past, living in Canada (Her family moved there after Hong Kong's independence from the United Kingdom, fearing that the Chinese government would exert too much control) and eventually becoming famous upon returning home, to her more recent activism.

It's a jumble of a biography, more concerned with making one vague point about Ho and her life before moving on to the next one (The sudden fades to black between each segment only highlight the rushed quality of the filmmaking). Important details, such as an arrest and her public coming-out as a lesbian, are introduced and dismissed, just to fit in as much information—whether relevant to the central thrust of the narrative or not—as possible.

With a brief run time, Denise Ho: Becoming the Song is a digestible introduction to the singer, her life, her career, and her activism. When the subject is this compelling, though, we should be allowed to savor the details.

Note: Denise Ho: Becoming the Song is available on distributor Kino Lorber's virtual theatrical program Kino Marquee. You can rent the film for home viewing, with part of the cost being shared with your local independent theaters (e.g., the Music Box Theatre in Chicago). For more information and to purchase access to the film, click here. Participating theaters are listed on the page.

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