Written and directed by Joe Piscatella, at 21, he was a leader of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution. By 23, he became Hong Kong’s youngest elected lawmaker. At 26, he was Most Wanted. The film offers to uncover what happens to freedom when an authoritarian power goes unchecked.
If you were to boil down Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? into its key theme or message, it would be the importance of young people getting involved in social activism and investing in their future. Nathan Law demonstrates that immediately, he’s a fantastic example of how you can make a different but also the sacrifices that have to be made. Joe Piscatella highlights with this documentary the genuine danger that activists face in Hong Kong, fighting for Hong Kong’s freedom could potentially result in entirely losing their own.
The biggest element of that is the national security law, something it’s a shame the documentary didn’t dedicate more of its time to explore it, as it is genuinely horrific. That governments in this day and age have the ability to create laws which can upend the lives of people purely because they disagree with their policies and are voicing their opinions is outrageous. That’s really where the key weakness to Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? lies, it’s not an in-depth look into the political landscape, it can only cover so much in ninety minutes.
The other weakness being the style, it’s a shame that Piscatella didn’t inject a sharpness into this film to match the passion and motivation of its subjects. Everything feels quite simple and by the book despite the stakes being extremely high. There’s also a gravity to the topic that Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? doesn’t quite capture, although it makes an admirable effort. It feels as though this story simply deserved a more complex vehicle to do it justice.
Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? delves into an extremely worthy topic, the plight of Nathan and his fellow activists deserves to be highlighted. Not only because their fight is ongoing but also because they provide a wonderful example for young people across the world to stand up for what they believe in. The style may be stereotypical for a documentary and there is a lot more territory to explore, but it makes for a decent introduction to Hong Kong’s journey for independence, through the eyes of its younger citizens.
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