A depressed teacher recalls and investigates childhood abuses in this profound and perceptive drama from Hong Kong director Nick Cheuk

Grappling with the still taboo issue of Hong Kongers’ mental health struggles, Nick Cheuk’s stirring drama contemplates a debilitating cycle of trauma. Startled by the discovery of a suicide note written by an anonymous student, high school teacher Mr Cheng (Lo Chun-yip) is taken back to a painful past marred by parental abuse and academic pressure. As Cheng flips through a diary penned by a young boy named Eli (Sean Wong Tsz-lok), the latter’s quiet sufferings are juxtaposed with the teacher’s difficult present.

Enduring daily comparison to his academically successful brother as well as corporal punishment from his violent father, Eli is alienated from his own family, a paralysing solitude that mirrors Cheng’s own since his recent divorce. Through a subtle and effective use of flashbacks, the connection between Eli and Cheng is gradually revealed. In addition to drawing a link between the neglect that festers in school and at home, Cheuk’s treatment of childhood abuse is especially sensitive, illustrating how a casual, cruel remark can sting just as much as a brutal beating. Tsz-lok’s inquisitive performance also emphasises what many parents fail to acknowledge: that children are just as perceptive, if not more, than adults.