Film Review: Papa 爸爸 (2024) - Hong Kong
Rating: 9/10
Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)
In the somber and poignant film "Papa" (2024), director Philip Yung takes viewers on an emotionally charged journey through the shattered world of Yuen, portrayed with raw intensity by Lau Ching Wan. This Hong Kong family drama delves deep into the profound grief and turmoil that ensue after Yuen's wife and daughter fall victim to the hands of his mentally ill son.
Lau Ching Wan's performance is nothing short of remarkable, as he deftly navigates the complex layers of trauma, guilt, and sorrow that weigh heavily on his character. His portrayal is a masterclass in conveying the depths of a father's agony and resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy.
Alongside Lau, Jo Koo delivers a powerful performance as Yin, Yuen's wife, adding emotional depth and authenticity to the film's exploration of loss and familial bonds. The chemistry between Lau and Koo further elevates the film, drawing viewers into the heart-wrenching narrative with their compelling portrayals.
Jo Koo’s performance haunts the margins of the story as the murdered mother, her absence a spectral force that fractures the family she leaves behind. Koo’s performance, though tragically brief, pulses with quiet urgency—a woman whose warmth and unspoken fears bleed through fleeting glimpses of domestic life. In flashbacks, she embodies the fragile glue of the household, her interactions with Dylan So’s troubled son tinged with tender desperation, as if sensing the storm gathering beneath his stoicism. Director Philip Yung frames her not as a victim reduced to plot device, but as a lingering echo: the laugh that fades too quickly, the half-finished gestures of care, the quiet dread in her eyes that foreshadows the unthinkable. Koo’s genius is in her restraint, turning mere moments into monuments of intimacy. Her ghost looms largest in the silences—in Lau Ching Wan’s hollowed gaze, in the son’s spiraling guilt—making her the aching heart of a film about love’s inability to save what it cannot see. A performance that devastates precisely because it feels so alive.
Newcomer Dylan So delivers a haunting, unsettling performance as the mentally fractured son whose violent act unravels a family’s fragile world. So’s portrayal is a study in chilling restraint; his character’s descent into madness simmers beneath a veneer of quiet detachment, punctuated by flashes of raw, almost childlike vulnerability. Director Philip Yung wisely avoids caricature, and So responds with a layered, internalized turn that refuses to sensationalize the horror of his actions. Instead, he embodies the tragedy of a mind at war with itself—his eyes vacant yet pleading, his gestures oscillating between hesitance and abrupt violence. In a film anchored by Lau Ching Wan’s seismic grief, So’s eerie stillness becomes its own gravitational force, forcing us to confront the unsettling duality of perpetrator and victim. A debut of startling emotional audacity.
Set against the backdrop of a real-life murder case, "Papa" offers a gripping and harrowing glimpse into the aftermath of unspeakable violence within a family. Through Yung's skillful direction and a stellar cast, the film confronts the complexities of grief, mental illness, and the enduring power of love and forgiveness.
With its haunting narrative and standout performances, "Papa" is a poignant and affecting cinematic experience that resonates long after the credits roll. Lau Ching Wan's intense acting, paired with Yung's directorial prowess, makes this film a compelling exploration of human resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy. (Neo, 2024)
Rating: 9/10