Abstract
Although reading for allegory (or allegoresis) has for decades been very common in studies of Hong Kong cinema, scholars have only rarely directly examined this intellectual habit. Responding to some of the common criticisms of allegory and allegoresis, this article argues that their long history in Hong Kong cinema can best be considered in view of persistent restrictions on freedom of expression in the territory. It asserts that allegory is important to Hong Kong cinema not only because it offers a layer of protection through obfuscation, but also because its operation parallels the desire to imagine a distinctive Hong Kong community, occasionally even directly contributing to this process of collective imagination. It further proposes that an ‘allegorical arsenal’, consisting of metaphorical characters and genre narratives with alle gorical potential, has developed—especially within the Hong Kong crime film. Adopting a structural and primarily narratological approach, this article looks at the post-2019 crime film Hand Rolled Cigarette (2020) as exemplifying the richness of Hong Kong crime cinema’s allegorical dimensions, and as expressing a distinct vision on Hong Kong identity that is informed by the 2019 protests.
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