Papa

Café owner Nin’s contented life is shattered forever when his fifteen-year-old son Ming violently murders his mother and sister one evening. Diagnosed with acute schizophrenia, Ming is remanded to a psychiatric prison indefinitely until full recovery. Aside from visiting his son twice a month, Nin tries to continue his daily pedestrian existence while struggling against the immense feelings of anger and grief over his lost family. As time passes, Nin has given up on understanding the reasons for this tragedy. He only hopes to connect with his son Ming, who despite everything is now his sole remaining family, and see the day where he can come home again.

 

Director
Philip Yung

Producer:
Amy Chin

Cast:
Sean Lau
Jo Koo
Dylan So

 

Director’s Statement

It’s been 13 years since I intended to adapt the true story of Kan Ka-Leung, a 15-year old boy who murdered his mother and sister in Tsuen Wan in 2010. I met the protagonist of this real-life tragedy, his father Mr Kan, when I was first conducting research for this project. We heard him recount many of his personal tales, including his deep grief for his deceased wife and daughter, as well as his conflicted sentiments toward his son. We were immensely moved and also learned about the story’s genuinely humanistic aspects.

Mr. Kan understood we were intending to adapt his story into a feature film and was very forthcoming with his perspective of the events to help with the adaptation process. This tragic incident occurred only one street away from my childhood home. The surroundings of this place exude an unexplainable sensation of belonging for myself, which boosted my confidence in my ability to bring this story to film in a way that did justice to those involved.

After finishing the film ‘Port of Call’, I returned to the story of ‘Papa’ and modified it to enhance the father’s narrative. Following him after the tragic incident at home, and how he must navigate through his own grief and anger while still being present for his mentally distressed son, exploring the complex emotions of “letting go” and “tolerance” within this narrative. I wanted to explore the concept of compassion more in my work, and Mr Kan embodied that quality.

 

Director Bio

Philip Yung is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. Yung has been active in film and television production since 1998. His debut feature film, Glamourous Youth (2009), earned him a nomination for Best New Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Port of Call received widespread acclaim in 2015, winning Best Screenplay at the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards and Best Film at the 22nd Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards. Yung’s most recent projects include Where the Wind Blows (2023) and Papa, as well as the upcoming film Penny Pinchers. He has also produced The Sparring Partner (2022).