The film follows a few characters in a pivotal year for Hong Kong as the city descends into chaos. There is the father who fights on the "frontline", a cute squabbling teenage couple and a very eloquent student leader. You really get a sense of how different people of different backgrounds are involved in this city-wide protest.

It's very much a David vs Goliath fight, but given the widespread support for the protests, for a moment, you do get taken in by the momentum and believe they have a chance.

It's sad that the film is titled When a City Rises, because we all know what ultimately happens to Hong Kong.

There are quite a few Hong Kong documentaries about this period, among the ones I've seen, I find this most comprehensive and has the strongest characters.

This is not a movie explaining what happened in 2019 of Hong Kong, nor a debate of pro-china vs pro-democracy.

Through the characters, I have a glimpse of how local people's lives are like during the long-lasting protest in the most wealthy and safest city in the world.

Some people are mature and brave; some people are naive and restrained; some people are thoughtful but lack of action. They are all dreamers, too idealistic with no clue if what they are doing actually works. But that's how all revolutions are like, eggs hitting the high wall, one day the Berlin Wall would fall.