We Are Nothing Again – bus explosion sparks Hong Kong’s tragic drama, racism and history | Video

Pbeautiful Hong Kong Filmmaker Herman Yau is back with an ambitious drama, which is a fun spin-off of his previous works. We Are Not Everywhere begins with a moment of shattering: on a seemingly ordinary Valentine’s Day in Hong Kong, a bus carrying two passengers suddenly bursts into flames. The deadly explosion sparks a police investigation led by Lung (Patrick Tam), a brilliant forensic scientist whose investigation reveals the chaos of intersecting lives. Similar to the unsettling opening, the rest of the film is prone to paradoxes, where the good looks resurface to reveal poverty, prejudice and despair.

From examining the bodies of burned victims – which were shown in close-up – to reviewing CCTV footage, Lung’s collection of footage focuses on the victims of the blast. Among the dead are lovers Fai and Ike (played by pop stars Anson Kong and Ansonbean), gay men who have endured financial hardship and family rejection. With its golden hues, the warmth of their friendship contrasts sharply with Lung’s world of colorless offices and colorless meetings. The connection is interesting, but the twin stories of a police action and a strange romance are entwined, leading to confusion.

Despite working in many films, Yau avoids political comments. A brief image in which a man reacts angrily to the words of a government official is similar to the protests that took place on the island in 2019 and 2020. However, it is difficult to ignore the way homosexuals are written, who live a life of poverty that has been transformed into simple archetypes: noble sex workers, harassed sex workers. With no real inner life, these characters are empty stories that reflect chaos. Rather than demystifying the racism that is taking place, this mistake makes the entire film a little more murky.