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 | |
| Distributed by | Nakong |
Running time | 157 minutes |
| Country | Nakong |
| Languages | Paisha Estmerish |
| Lest Ye Be Judged | |||||||||||||
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| Simplified script | 慎毋责人 | ||||||||||||
| Traditional script | 慎毋責人 | ||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Be careful not to judge others" | ||||||||||||
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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 subject matter and sympathetic portrayal of a Shangean unionist character led to accusations that it promotes unpatriotic a negative view of Nakongese history.
Plot
Rupert Liao is a first-year law student at the University of Patlin who aspires to become a judge and advocate for the powerless.
In the present day, an elderly Linda 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.
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 .