The Hungry Ghost Festival is looking worse for wear in recent years, because sometimes I just want to see new content over repeating what I’ve said in the past. While some new material exists, I don’t recommend one of them.
The documentary, Island of Hungry Ghosts, is depressing because it’s about one particular refugee camp built on Christmas Island. Rumours say that many Chinese spirits roam the land in search of a place called home in this very remote community. When they weren’t given last sites, this work is a moving piece to follow. I understand the symbology concerning the crab migration that also happens, but this work won’t be for everyone.
Another is an aptly named Australian miniseries from 2020 which recognizes the literary definition of the word. Here, the Le, Nguyan and Tran family have to deal with the trauma they still feel following the Vietnamese War. Although they live in another country now, they are literally being haunted by demons! This work is actually worth a watch and is available to freely stream on SBS Australia, especially for those with a VPN to bypass the geolock.
Bonnie Lam (Chen Keat Yoke) finds herself stranded in her family’s old coffee shop in the middle of a COVID-19 lockdown. She soon realises that things are not as they seem; the ghosts of her dead relatives haunt the coffee shop as they return for the annual Hungry Ghost Festival.
And as for why this film isn’t still on Netflix is a question for this streaming service to answer. Google search says this movie is available, but every time I check this streaming service (including, through a VPN to access the Asia site), this film doesn’t appear on the list at all! The only evidence for another North American release is on Apple TV Plus next month. The release date is September 2nd! That’ll be at the end of the two week-long festivities. Usually, works should get released at the start, but here, it seems to close off the event is best.
Hungry Ghost Diner Movie Trailer
