Lest Ye Be Judged

Lest Ye Be Judged
Theatrical release poster Promotional release poster
Original title	慎毋責人
Directed by	Daniel Sim
Written by	Daniel Sim
Produced by	Daniel Sim Rupert Lee
Starring	Joshua Tsui Sunny Lee Han Lim
Cinematography	Francis Hui
Edited by	Chung Kwok-chak
Music by	Jonathan Nip
Production company	Yuansan Pictures
Distributed by	New Era Film and Television
Running time	157 minutes
Country	Nakong
Languages	Paisha Estmerish

Lest Ye Be Judged
Simplified script	慎毋责人
Traditional script	慎毋責人
Literal meaning	"Be careful not to judge others"
Transcriptions Putonghua Fuhao Shèn wú zé rén Paisha Morwall san6 mou4 jaak3 yan4

Lest Ye Be Judged (Shangean: 慎毋責人) is an upcoming 2023 Nakongese historical drama film written, directed and produced by Daniel Sim. Set against the background of the Patlin trials, the film follows a young couple as their budding romance is overtaken by the events of the Unionist Crisis and the persecution of pro-Shangean students in the 1960s. Starring Joshua Tsui as Rupert and Sunny Lee as Linda, the film uses fictional characters to explore a historical event in Nakongese history that has widely been acknowledged as a miscarriage of justice.

The film was selected by the Nakongese Academy of Cinema as the country's submission to the 84th Montecara Film Festival, where it will vie in competition for awards. The film's nomination generated controversy in Nakong, as the sensitive subject matter and sympathetic portrayal of a Shangean unionist character led to accusations that it promotes unpatriotic sentiments and shows a negative view of Nakongese history to the world.

Plot

Rupert Liao is a law student at the National University of Nakong in Ningcho who sits through a lecture on the history of habeas corpus in Estmerish law, after which he watches his friend Kwok-chin get into a debate with the professor about whether colonial laws remain relevant in the nascent Nakongese Republic. On his way home, he meets the young typist Linda on the tram and the two take a liking to each other.

Over the next days, Rupert continues to run into Linda on the tram and the pair begin talking about their lives during their commute. Over these conversations, Linda learns that Rupert aspires to become a judge and advocate for the powerless, while Rupert learns that Linda is the secretary to Arnold Yau, the national police commissioner. Rupert eventually asks Linda on a date, and she accepts. They spend the day walking around the city market and discussing their family lives, ending the evening by sharing a kiss by the fountain.

After class the next day, Rupert is invited by Kwok-chin to the first meeting of an anti-imperialist club on campus. He attends out of obligation and meets Henry and Elaine, two committed unionists who induct him into the club. When he relays this to Linda that evening, she becomes concerned and tells him to be careful. Later, the two lovers have kindled their relationship and spend a week hiking around Mount Fui, where Linda reveals that she wanted to study to become a teacher but took a secretarial job out of familial duty after her father was injured and could no longer earn money.

After they return to Ningcho, Rupert learns that Kwok-chin, Henry and Elaine have been expelled for subversive activities. He pays them a visit, where they reveal that they will move to Patlin to join like-minded youth and encourage him to come with them. Torn between concern for his friends and desire to continue his studies, he declines but promises that he will come be with them soon. The opportunity presents itself at a career fair, where he passes up a prestigious clerkship in Ningcho in order to take an articling position in Patlin. Linda is saddened that Rupert plans to move across the country, but the two agree to pursue a long-distance relationship and visit each other frequently.

Once in Patlin, Rupert learns that his friends have joined up with an underground unionist cell that is planning a city-wide general strike. When Linda comes for a visit, she is gravely alarmed by this news and begs Rupert to stay away. Back in Ningcho, Linda overhears plans at police headquarters for a raid on the Patlin cell and rushes to call Rupert, warning him to avoid the area. Rupert chooses to inform the whole group, who flee their apartment just in time. One of the cell members, Kang, is revealed to be a police informant and tells headquarters of a mole within their ranks.

Suspected of being the leak, Linda is interrogated but refuses to incriminate herself. Though not charged, she is fired from her secretarial job and disowned by her family. Feeling betrayed, Linda tells Rupert that she hopes never to see him again. She instantly regrets her words, but he hangs up. With nothing left to lose, he has given up his studies and fully immersed himself with the Patlin cell. The general strike is a success and the city is paralyzed by a groundswell of unionist sentiment, though the young organizers are horrified when the military is summoned to crush the movement. They are soon arrested and charged with high treason. After a rushed trial where the biased Judge Tan castigates them as traitors and refuses to admit their evidence despite Rupert's eloquent advocacy on their behalf, the students are devastated when they are sentenced to death by the court.

Upon hearing the news, Linda rushes to Patlin and reconciles with Rupert, visiting him every day in prison as they await news of his appeal. With unshakable faith in the majesty of the law, Rupert is convinced that the judgment was in error and would be corrected soon. One day, they have a heartfelt conversation about marrying and moving in together once he is freed, when a guard barges into the room and announces that the Court of Appeal has rejected his appeal and set his execution for the following morning. With his faith in justice shattered, Rupert bids a tearful farewell to Linda, but not before he makes her promise him to pursue her dreams of becoming a teacher. They admit to each other that they have always loved each other.

In the present day, an elderly Linda is the retired principal of an elementary school. She walks past the courthouse and sees a vision of her young self walking up the steps with Rupert on their wedding day. She wistfully smiles and walks on.

Cast

• Joshua Tsui as Rupert Liao
• Sunny Lee as Linda Tam
• Han Lim as Yuen Kwok-chin
• Ian Lau as Mr Justice Tan, presiding judge of the Patlin county court. Howard Tan (1921–2012) was an actual judge who presided over the trials of several of the Patlin defendants and was later appointed to the Court of Appeal, Nakong's highest court. Tan's family strenuously objects to his portrayal in the film and has threatened to bring suit against Lau, Sim and the production company for defamation.

Themes

Title

Both the Shangean and Estmerish titles of the film come from Matthew 7:1, which reads "Judge not, lest ye be judged" in Estmerish and 「慎毋責人、庶免受責。」 in Shangean. This line, said by Jesus Sotiras in the Sermon on the Mount, was selected .

See also

• 84th Montecara Film Festival
• Patlin trials