Made in Hong Kong

Bad things start happening to Moon, a kid from a local housing estate, when he comes into possession of two bloodstained letters left behind by a schoolgirl suicide: his mother walks out, he starts having pesky wet dreams, his mentally handicapped best friend gets into trouble, and he falls for a girl who turns out to be seriously ill.

Director Fruit Chan, a long-serving assistant director in the HK film industry, got this indie feature made on a wing and a prayer: various industry figures (most notably Andy Lau) helped out, hardly anyone got paid and the non-pro cast was recruited on the street. Much of it is fresh, truthfully observed and touching in its honesty, although the climactic escalation into triad melodrama and the several false endings point to Chan’s inexperience at this stage of his career. None the less, a striking achievement.