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ReviewWe’re Nothing at All movie review: Herman Yau’s grim social critique is too heavy-handed
A gripping drama, We’re Nothing at All explores societal apathy through a tragic bus blast – but its heavy-handed approach may deter viewers
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2.5/5 stars
A bus blast on Valentine’s Day in 1998 that killed 16 and injured dozens in Wuhan, in China’s Hubei province, provides the blueprint for We’re Nothing at All, a trenchant drama that marks a rare rekindling of Herman Yau Lai-to’s passion for socially conscious storytelling after the veteran Hong Kong filmmaker’s mostly bombastic action blockbusters over the past decade.
Anchored by visceral performances from a pair of singer-actors, who play the misanthropic gay couple at the heart of the mystery, Yau’s latest effort uses their travails to indict the collective apathy and viciousness supposedly prevalent in contemporary Chinese society.
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Into this world of bitter darkness and rampant homophobia steps Lung (Patrick Tam Yiu-man), a highly regarded forensics expert who has been running a barbecue venue with his kindly wife (Kearen Pang Sau-wai) since a personal scandal forced his resignation from the police force years ago.
Lung is summoned back to investigate the bus explosion, where he finds himself in his element among the severed limbs and charred bodies. He also discovers echoes of his own experience in the lives of the two young bombers behind the murder-suicide pact: Fai (Anson Kong Ip-sang of the boy band Mirror) and Ike (Anson Chan Ngai-san, also known as Ansonbean).
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