Ciao UFO Review: A Sentimental Journey Through Time and Friendship
Directed by Patrick Leung, this affecting saga from Hong Kong is a bit tricksy to get to grips with because it keeps hopping back and forth between an assortment of time frames. It tracks a set of characters as children in the mid-1980s, played by one group of young actors, and then later in the 1990s and early 00s when an adult cast takes over. But as it spirals in towards its surprising and dramatic conclusion, everything falls into place and the last 10 minutes is properly tear-jerking – even if it’s unabashedly sentimental, like a classic melodrama.
The key incident foretold in the title happens around halfway through, although it’s no spoiler to know it’s coming. In 1985, a quartet of kids growing up on a working-class Hong Kong housing estate – boys Kin (Matthew Wong Cheuk-yin) and Heem (Chui Ka-him), and girl Hoyi (Lam Seung-yu) and her kid brother (Shawn Heung Sung-yu), for ever called Little Brother – see a UFO in the sky one night. The experience bonds them for ever, even if each kid grows up to pursue goals one wouldn’t expect based on what they’re like as tots. Sailor’s son Kin (played by Chui Tien-you as an adult) pursues wealth in the stock market as it booms in the aftermath of the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China, itself an understandably big deal in the story. Heem (a very engaging Wong You-nam) had leukaemia as a child, and lives constantly in the short term under the shadow of illness. Hoyi, who everyone describes as a pudgy little girl, grows up to be a slim-hipped beauty (Charlene Choi Cheuk-yin) – this is considered a great achievement along with becoming an accountant and planning to marry a dullard named Austin (Joey Cho Yiu Leung) who has his life all planned out.
What’s interesting is that despite the spaceship stuff this isn’t in the slightest a sci-fi film. It’s really a straight-up multi-stranded realist drama where the city itself, evolving and changing throughout, is one of the characters. There are lots of colourful secondary figures, including a spaced-out uncle who spouts Maoist anti-capitalist doctrine, a superstitious grandfather, and a doomed girlfriend who is the one who got away for one character. For reasons that seem to do with distribution problems and other mishaps, this is only getting an international release now having actually been made back in 2019, but it still feels fresh, even weirdly relevant as stock-market volatility looms over the world once again.
A Time-Hopping Chronicle of Housing Estate Kids
The film’s non-linear structure may initially disorient viewers, but as the narrative threads converge, the emotional payoff is substantial. The 1985 UFO sighting serves as a catalyst for lifelong bonds, yet the story remains grounded in the characters’ personal struggles and aspirations. The acting across both child and adult casts is uniformly strong, with Wong You-nam delivering a particularly moving performance as Heem, whose battle with leukaemia adds a layer of poignancy to his pursuit of happiness. Charlene Choi brings depth to Hoyi, whose transformation from a pudgy girl to a successful accountant belies her inner dissatisfaction.
The historical backdrop of Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997 is woven seamlessly into the narrative, influencing the characters’ life choices and the city’s evolving skyline. Kin’s obsession with stock market gains mirrors the era’s economic volatility, while Heem’s health struggles reflect the fragility of life. The film’s sentimental tone may not appeal to all, but its authentic portrayal of working-class life and the enduring power of childhood friendships resonates deeply.
Ciao UFO is in UK cinemas from 15 May.
