Wong Kar Wai’s impressive directorial debut in 1988, As Tears Go By, demonstrates the director’s acumen for portraying the diurnal rhythms of yearning with a healthy dose of commercial appeal. The much loved crime genre that delves into the underbelly of Hong Kong’s gangsters is given a softer treatment by Wong, entangling the gangster Wah (Andy Lau) into a romance with Ah Ngor (Maggie Chueng). This complicates Wah’s inconspicuous gangster lifestyle as he is pulled in and out of the nights by Ah Ngor’s modest life and his duty to his unruly “younger brother” Fly (Jacky Cheung).
The chaos of the streets at night are balanced with the serenity of daily routines, the pacing of the film is incredibly fun and enrapturing. Tender love is ever-present between the brotherhood and the cousins. This is complemented by a smooth soundtrack of 80 synth pop, jazz and a Cantonese cover of Berlin’s Take My Breath Away by Sandy Lam. Although cheesy, it is unabashedly cinematic, romantic and used masterfully that makes it absolutely necessary in the telling of a central moment of the heart wrenching narrative.
The titular motif of water courses throughout the film- tears are shed in the film and amongst the audience, the protagonists travel across water for brief connections, the wet humid streets of Kowloon are sticky with blood, urine, and the sweetness of love. A mirage of neon colours bouncing off them. This is when I realised the film’s title and the retrospective’s name “Love & Neon” are extremely fitting.
As Tears Go By is a strong prelude to both the visuals and concepts characteristic to Wong’s oeuvre, integral to understanding the director’s artistic growth throughout his career.
Bonnie Huang