The Story of My Son

This film is a joint undertaking between Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai, who have made more films together. As a social drama, it is a fairly exceptional film within the oeuvre of To. But To does not want to tie himself down to any specific genre.
The story is based on the Italian film Incompreso, a sensitive drama dating from 1966 by the craftsmen Luigi Comencini. The action was moved from Italy in the early 1960s to Hong Kong in the late 1980s. Li Tzu-Liang (played by Damian Lau) is a widower who has to bring up two sons on his own. He is plagued by debts and also allows himself to be misled by loan sharks. He tries in vain to make a killing betting on horses. That only serves to increase his problems. His creditors even start pestering his children. More heartrending events follow. While father Li originally only had trouble paying the hospital bills, circumstances get him deeper and deeper in trouble. Based on the example by Comencini, the film shows how a well-intentioned and easily-influenced person can fall victim to unscrupulous crooks. (GjZ)