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.
