Hong Kong director Philip Yung appeared at the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival on October 31 for a Q&A session following the world premiere of his new film Papa, playing in TIFF’s Competition section. Joining him in front of a packed and appreciative audience were actor Jo Koo and the still-teenage Dylan So, who plays her son in the film.
 
Yung (Port of Call, Where the Wind Blows), who also writes and produces his work, is known for gritty films that realistically portray Hong Kong, and Papa is no different. Like Port of Call, it is also a story torn from the headlines.
 
Moving and sobering, the film follows a father (Sean Lau) as he grapples with love, loss and forgiveness after his 15-year-old son, Ming Yuen (Dylan So), brutally murders his mother (Jo Koo) and younger sister without apparent motive. Lau plumbs new depths of emotion — but not sentimentality — as the aggrieved Nin Yuen, loving husband and father of the victim, as well as father of the murderer. While Ming is diagnosed and institutionalized with acute schizophrenia, doctors assure Nin that with his help, his son can be treated and returned to society. But Nin, determined to understand what caused this tragedy, finds it nearly impossible to move on.
 
TIFF Programming Director Ichiyama Shozo, serving as a moderator, began the session by asking the director whether the film was based on a true story. Said Yung, “This is indeed based on a true incident. When I began writing the script, I did research and I met the papa himself and asked him questions about his son and family. As I spent time with him, he told me all kinds of stories that were very moving. One of them was that he kept writing letters to his deceased wife, as well as to his son. He showed me the letters he received from his son, and there were so many ideas that I could create a film from.”
 
Jo Koo, asked about how she approached the role of the mother, commented, “I heard that Philip had this script several years ago and I was grateful to be offered the role. When I read it, I thought at first that it wouldn’t be such a difficult role, but it was. I had to empty myself and not prepare too much in advance. On the set, Sean Lau was always there even if he wasn’t in the frame, and it was a very easy and friendly atmosphere to work in.”
 
Dylan So recalled, “I was very happy when I got the offer, because it was my first film and in a very important role. I also was happy to be able to act with Sean Lau. But when I started preparing, I hit a wall. I couldn’t figure out how to play the role. Is (Ming) a murderer or is he mentally ill? I finally realized that I could base it on my own relationship with my father. Then it became easy and I was able to relate to the character.”
 
Yung was asked why he had chosen a different aspect ratio than today’s widescreen films, and he explained, “For the first half of the film, I shot in 1×1.6, then I switched to 1×1.85. But I was thinking during editing that it should be changed to 4×3, because I wanted the audience to feel as if they were watching a home movie. And I also felt like this family was trapped in the small space of their apartment, so it was suitable to portray that.”
 
Another viewer asked Yung how he would describe this father-son relationship. Said the director, “This type of thing has actually happened several times in Hong Kong. These people are schizophrenic, and it’s beyond their own control. In many cases, it’s not obvious that they have the illness, and then they hear voices and act upon them. It can happen in the home, it can happen on the street. So I would like audiences to watch the film and think about that.”
 
He went on to say, “I am very grateful that TIFF selected the film for the Competition section, and I would like to thank Mr. Ichiyama. This is my first time at the festival, and it’s truly a great honor. He mentioned that the film is very stylish. But I was trying to focus on the relationship between the father and son. I was very lucky to work with actors like Dylan So and Jo Koo. There’s actually a person in her family who is schizophrenic, and that’s one reason we became great friends. So it was almost like a dream come true to work with her on the film, and I’m truly grateful.”
 
Q&A Session: Competition
Papa
Guests: Philip Yung (Director/Screenplay), Jo Koo (Actor), Dylan So (Actor)