Baba

This is a tough film to watch, but it's worth it. "Papa" (Ching-wan Lau) runs a bustling café and we first meet him looking forlornly at his apartment from the street outside. It transpires that there has been a double-murder and that his wife and daughter have been stabbed to death by their son. The young lad has openly admitted the crime and is soon committed for psychiatric care as schizophrenia is suspected. Over the next two hours we learn a bit about the family dynamic and each character has their moment in the sun to explain just who they are and how they fit into this tight and typically loving and bickering family unit. Of course, there are signs that "Ming" (Dylan So) has some sort of mental illness, but like any family they are confident that with love and care they can manage this, and for the most part the teenager appears to thrive with his mum (Kam Yin) and lively sister "Yan" (Lainey Hung). What comes across strongly here are the older man's senses of grief and disbelief, yes - but also of his guilt at not being there to stop the attack, or even to succumb to it; and there is also a palpable sense of forgiveness emanating from a man who ought to hate his son deeply but who doesn't. As we delve deeper into the story, it's left up to us to form our opinions about what may or not have been warning signs or triggers as well as appreciating just how difficult it was for this couple running a 24/7 business that left them emotionally drained and sleep deprived at the best of times. It's a film about coping, prioritising and doing the best possible and just like everyone else, hoping that we can be left to cruise along undisturbed by trauma - large or small. It's not a doom-laden exercise, there is a fair degree of light-heartedness and a great deal of eating (well it's more like shovelling, really) has there's even a mother-in-law joke! Now there are some quirks in this production that do occasionally make you think that the director wasn't paying enough attention and as with anything trying to weave timelines and characters together, the continuity is not the best - but if you take a wide vision view of just how a tightly-knit family deals with life, love, disaster and possibly forgiveness then this is a poignant film to watch with solid efforts from both Ching-wan Lau and from a less prominent, but still effective, Dylan So.

This a film that base on an real life tragedy, given the realistic nature of it, the way this film layed out was closer to a documentary that were displayed in an artistic manner to tell the tragedy, the film is split into couple chapters, each focusing on individual family member daily connection on Sean Lau. And of course we only see a glimpse of the memory, nothing too dramatic about it, but it feels very grounded. The director also use a big portion amount of screentime on some artistic shot with no dialogue, which can leave a lot for the audience to decipher the about message the director want to tell in those shot, but the meaning of each might be differ to each audience depends on the interpreation.

The best part about this film is Sean Lau excellent performance as well as the realism of the film.

The film is a little slow paced for my liking, but I enjoy it nevertheless.

How does one forgive the unforgivable?

Based on the 2010 Heung Wo Street murder case, Papa is a melancholic character study of a family tragedy, led by two great performances from Sean Lau and newcomer Dylan So.

Nin Yeung, the owner of a 24-hour Hong Kong style cafe, deals with the aftermath of a family tragedy. Some time ago, Nin's mentally unstable son Ming murdered his wife Yin and daughter Grace.

Phillip Yung, writer-director behind Port of Call and Where the Wind Blows, directs with a fine comb, employing a non-linear structure that mimics blurred uncomfortable memories bubbling to the surface.

Sean Lau has had a unique career trapeze walking the line between a character actor and a leading man. Lau works completely in commercial films, but more often than not, he is tasked to carry and elevate his movies like a character actor would.

These tasks include convincingly delivering bad dialogue (Crisis Negotiators), grounding a fantastical premise (Warriors of Future), acting crazy (The Mad Detective), being an overtop villain (Fat Choi Spirit), doing a celebrity impersonation (Fantasia) or carrying a weak co-star (Driving Miss Wealthy).

Papa breaks this pattern.

Phillip Yung gives Sean Lau free reign like never before, relieving him from additional duties and letting him peel the proverbial onion.

Lau delivers a naturalistic portrayal of grief and numb confusion over this family tragedy and how to reconcile with his son Ming. Nin wants to deal with the tragedy head-on and reconnect with his son in earnest, but his subconscious can't quite handle it...

Lau performs in silence, with the apartment as his scene partner. Lau plays the torment all in his eyes. Did Nin fail as a parent and inadvertently cause this family tragedy? What could he have done to avoid this? Can he forgive his son?

As the son, Dylan So is chilling. He gives an emotional depth that had me wondering if the character was psychotic, schizophrenic or lost in a moment. There are seemingly hopeful moments of empathy and remorse seeping through, and that uncertainty is how it would really be like.

The audience waits with Sean Lau, searching in his son's darting eyes, eagerly awaiting hope, reconciliation or an answer-anything!

My heart goes out to the real-life father of this tragedy and I wish him the best. I could only imagine how triggering it would be to have a movie based on your family tragedy.

Phillip Yung is sensitive to this, handles the material with surgical hands, and explores the Nin's dilemma deeply and honestly enough that the film is artistically justified.

It is never easy for viewers to sit through a movie that revolves around real life tragedy such as this.

The movie goes forth and back in storytelling and it flows seamlessly like potraying the memories of the father.

The father is suffering in silence and trying to find answers from his son's action. They are some pointers throughout the movie in probably hinting what was wrong with the son such as the sudden change of expression at the dining table or the food delivery scene.

There is no overacting and Sean Lau did a marveilous job in his role.

The ending is a reminiscent of inception. Was it real or a dream?

This film, to me, feels like the Asian version of An Anatomy of a Fall - not story-wise, but the viewing experience. It kept me on edge and indulged me with a mix of emotions the entire time.

The subtle storytelling and well-placed moments of ambiguity dilute the raw impact of the tragic event itself. The director refrains from simplistically attributing blame or offering an easy emotional outlet for the audience. Instead, the movie delicately and silently guide viewers to witness how an ordinary father comes to terms with the absurdity of reality in the face of such a tragedy. It's one of the most lingeringly powerful films I've seen in years.

Highly recommended.