Plain Sailing

Sisters moving from Hunan to Hong Kong in the 1990s are faced with an identity crisis, poverty, and their father's drug addiction.

Kwan believes that she is unique. Enclosed in solitude within her own literary world and deprived of affections from her family, she longs for love in whatever form it takes - no matter how distorted. She considers the detention class with Mr Cheung a shelter from the world, until it is shattered together with all her hopes. She finally comes to the realisation that it is the world that goes against her. There is no hiding place for her no matter how hard she struggles……

Liu Yang He, a landmark in Hunan province, is not only the film’s original title but also a well-known Communist folk song in China. It was written during the Agrarian Reform that precedes the Cultural Revolution. Youngsters were sent to farmlands and factories to experience intense labour. They sang to praise Chairman Mao. Kah-kah (Rain Lau) was permanently injured in an industrial accident during that time. When Kah-kah meets this amputated client (Ko Hon-man), they feel sympathy with each other and turn this sympathy into a possibility of love as if they were flowing into a river of no return. Here, Rain Lau’s sophisticated performance resembles her award-winning role in Queen of Temple Street (1990).

A young couple enjoys playing hide-and-seek in the city. Every time See would give Pong a little clue to catch her in the crowd by 3 am. Perhaps this is just a rehearsal for bidding farewell – to create some good memories before losing each other. After losing her, he would still look around to search for those familiar scenes and discover some new sceneries he has overlooked.

On one auspicious full moon night, she receives an anonymous call from Taiwan. It pulls her from a quiet mid-autumn night into the sea of memories. A mix of sweat and tears, and a hint of saltiness, what a taste of summer... Miles apart, they gaze at the same moon while yearning for their homeland.

Yeung Tsz-wai, a loner, formed a bond with Lam Cheuk-yin during school lunches and soon looked forward to that time each day. She admired Cheuk-yin but grew discouraged by his ambiguity and developed feelings for his friend, Chu Chi-kit. When Cheuk-yin discovered this, all three fell out. Years later, Tsz-wai, meeting Cheuk-yin again, realized her mistakes.