Time

Ricky Ko | Hong Kong | 2020 | 99' |

| IFFR 2021

Being a classic hired killer is no longer an option, but eighty-something Chau doesn’t mind lending a helping hand in cases of euthanasia. Like a guardian angel (how he refers to himself), his ‘care service’ consists of slitting elderly throats. And there’s no shortage of lonely old-timers dying to take him up on the offer. In the darkly humorous Time, however, Chau doesn’t get long to enjoy his newfound success. Teenager Tsz-Ying also wants to be murdered, and won’t take no for an answer. The same is true of Chau’s client elderly Mrs Fung, who is struggling to make sense of life and the heavy demands of her children. In the meantime, driver Chung is trying in vain to find love with a sex worker.

Full of clever twists and hyper-stylised nods to classic Hong Kong cinema, Time is above all a warm film about vulnerable people and their lost ideals – although the lead actor, former matinee idol Patrick Tse (84), still rules the screen. A comical story with a sad undertow.