Time Still Turns the Pages is an emotionally devastating work with stories that many Hong Kongers can relate to (Film review)

Poster for this Hong Kong drama that had

5 Golden Horse nominations

 

Time Still Turns the Pages (Hong Kong, 2023)

- Nick Cheuk, director and scriptwriter

- Starring: Lo Chun-yip, Sean Wong, Ronald Cheng, Rosa Maria Velasco

 

Like In Broad Daylight, this dramatic offering from debutant director Nick Cheuk (who also is its scriptwriter) was one of the opening films of this year's Hong Kong Asian Film Festival.  And like that film centering on a dedicated journalist going and investigating abuse in a care home, this film about a teacher confronting childhood trauma was nominated for five of Taiwan's Golden Horse awards this year.

 

Time Still Turns the Pages ended up winning two of those: that for Best New Director, and the Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature -- and I'm going to say outright that I think these accolades were richly deserved.  Also, after viewing it, I can understand how, despite it being a serious and emotionally devastating work, there are people (like at least one friend of mine) who have felt compelled to go and watch it more than once.

 

In addition to being very well made, Time Still Turns the Pages has stories and characters that (too) many Hong Kongers will find relatable.  The tale that's set in the present involves Mr. Cheng (portrayed by Lo Chun-yip), a secondary school teacher who worries that a student in his class is suicidal after his school's janitor finds an emotional note written by an anonymous youngster. (Student suicide is a big issue in Hong Kong, which saw 27 suspected instances of this in the first 10 months of this year). 

 

Mr Cheng's suspicions initially fall on Vincent (played by Hennick Chou), a student with hearing issuses that get him being mockingly referred to as Van Gogh.  When the educator tries to reach out, his efforts are rebuffed -- with Vincent doing his own hurting by pointing out to the teacher that everyone at the school knew that Mr Cheng has marital problems and is living apart from his childhood sweetheart turned wife (essayed by Hanna Chan).

 

Still, Vincent's slight does not upset Mr Cheng as much as a phrase in the anonymous note that triggers back memories of the situation in his family when he was young; one involving a demanding father (played by Ronald Cheng), a hapless mother (portrayed by Rosa Maria Velasco) and their two preteen sons -- one of whom, Eli (Sean Wong giving an absolutely compelling performance), has (already) been pegged as a loser in life as surely as his brother (played by Curtis Ho) is looked upon as a winner.  

Early on in Time Still Turns the Pages, the stories set in the past are more interesting and compelling (as well as heartbreaking) than the one(s) set in the present.  The movie's genius though is how it connects what happened in the past to the present.  And when the two main stories eventually come together is when the tears truly flowed on the part of this (rev)iewer!  

 

In addition, that's when one comes to really appreciate the character of Mr Cheng: one that's complex, multi-layered, and both a flawed Everyman but also ordinary hero -- trying in his own way to make up for the sins of the father even while forging his own understated but nonetheless admirable path.  (To make it clear: I'm really talking about Mr Cheng -- as opposed to Mr Cheuk, the director -- about whom it's been revealed that he's the son of Warner Cheuk, the current Deputy Chief Secretary for Adminstration and thus number three most senior official in the Hong Kong government!)       

My rating for this film: 9.0