Lau Shet-Ming

In 1980s Hong Kong, troubled youth Chan Lok-kwun, a mainland refugee, struggles to survive in the Kowloon Walled City by joining underground fights. Betrayed by crime boss Mr. Big while trying to buy a fake ID, he steals drugs from him and seeks refuge in the Walled City, where he encounters Cyclone, a compassionate yet authoritative crime lord.

Heung Wing has been sensitive to paranormal activity and keeps seeing ghosts since he was a kid. One day, Heung Wing receives news that his mother is in coma after committing suicide, which forces him to return to the old home. Everything seems strange and weird.

Three stand-alone shorts offer insight into contemporary Hong Kong. In Departure, we meet a young couple who are soul searching en route to the airport. In 06:00 AM, an anxiety-ridden student enters a nightmare reality where she is forced to submit to compulsory government surveillance. In The Night Before, three twenty-somethings from different walks of life become fast friends as a result of their participation in the pro-democracy movement.

Gun is a loan shark. Having worked hard for years, i.e. intimidating and threatening his debtors, he musters just enough money to purchase a house for the family. The plan is at risk, however, when one of his debtors dies and Gun discovers that he is not the only creditor. Out of desperation, he asks for his daughter’s help, who is unwilling to be involved in her father’s shady business. The simmering tension causes a rift in the family.

We cannot escape from bureaucracy in life as well as in death. Quickie promises his grandma to handle the forced removal of his great-grand aunt’s niche. But without the ancestor’s identity documents, Quickie cannot apply for public columbarium niches. On the other hand, grandma refuses to have the evicted ashes brought home for fear of bad luck. As he struggles with bureaucratic red tape, Quickie thinks of one inventive solution after another to find a temporary home for the ashes. The story is a biting commentary on ridiculous public policies rendered in vibrant, energetic colours and groan-inducing jokes to highlight the absurdity of the situation.