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Trailer
Synopsis
Middle-aged widow Mei Heung (starring Sylvia CHANG) has gone through countless sleepless nights since the death of her husband, Bill (starring Simon YAM). One day, she finds a key among the items that Bill left behind, leading her to his secret neon workshop and meet the young apprentice, Leo (starring Henick CHOU). She learns from Leo that Bill had an unfulfilled last wish: to recreate a demolished legendary neon sign. With Leo’s help, Mei-heung tries to uncover the story behind the sign and learns the craft of blowing neon lights in hopes of fulfilling her deceased husband's last wish with her own hands. Along the way, Mei-heung reminisces about her beautiful encounters with Bill and unearths pieces of Bill's past as if they are the last consolation left by him. Meanwhile, Mei-heung’s daughter, Prism (starring Cecilia CHOI), plans to leave Hong Kong with her fiancé, but she is unable to break the news to Mei-heung.
As clues of the legendary neon sign gradually emerge, the secrets that Mei-heung couldn't face are about to be revealed...
Movie Info
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Anastasia TSANG
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Saville CHAN
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Sylvia CHANG, Simon YAM, Cecilia CHOI, Henick CHOU, Ben YUEN
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Cantonese with English Subtitling
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103 mins
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Won Best Leading Actress (Sylvia Chang)
Nominated Best Visual Effects (Dennis Yeung)
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Nominated Best Film Character Award (Sylvia Chang, Henick Chou)
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Nominated Best Actress (Sylvia Chang)
Nominated Best New Performer (Henick Chou)
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Nominated Best Actress (Sylvia Chang)
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Nominated Best Actress (Sylvia Chang)
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"Asian Future" Competition Section
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Closing Film
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Hong Kong Focus Section
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European Premiere, Harbour Section
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Competition Film
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"Chinese Panorama" Section
Director: Anastasia TSANG
Director’s Statement
“Wife” and “Mother” are two identities that summarize the fate of millions of women. When these two identities come to an end, what remains for the rest of their lives? Maternal love is often highly praised, yet women who have contributed most of their lives to the family can only face the pain and loneliness of widowhood when their partners pass away and their children leave their home...
Widowhood is ultimately about loss. Like a widow, Hong Kong has been in a state of loss in recent years. Hong Kong’s blooming neon lights have always been an icon of its economic prosperity. They lined the city's streets during the economic boom of the 1980’s, lighting up a "Pearl of the Orient" that enchanted the whole world. As an iconic imagery of Hong Kong, neon lights represented the city's most prosperous era, and its fading glow seems like a metaphor of the city's fate. Like HongKongers who tend to hang on to the good old days, the widow in the film desperately wants to retrieve her husband's past. Even when it seems to be futilely stubborn, sometimes we need to insist in order to exist.
Sylvia Chang as
Mei Heung
Sylvia Chang is a legendary actress and director in Chinese cinema, having won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress three times. She also received Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay for Love Education. In 2022, she won Best Leading Actress at the Golden Horse Awards for her performance in A Light Never Goes Out and was nominated for Best Actress at the 16th Asian Film Awards.
Mei Heung, a pragmatic and resilient middle-aged woman. After marrying neon sign craftsman Bill, their relationship becomes strained during the SARS outbreak as the neon sign business declines. Following Bill's sudden death, Mei Heung discovers his unfinished neon project and, with the help of his apprentice Leo, sets out to complete it, leading her to re-examine her marriage and find closure.
Simon Yam as Bill
Simon Yam, a seasoned actor in Hong Kong cinema, is known for his versatility, having been nominated multiple times for Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards, eventually winning for Echoes of the Rainbow. His performances in PTU, Election, and Night and Fog showcase his deep acting skills and have earned him widespread acclaim.
In A Light Never Goes Out, Simon plays Bill, a traditional neon sign craftsman who learned the trade as an apprentice in Hong Kong and later became a master. His commitment to his craft is unwavering, even as the neon sign industry declines due to government regulations and the rise of LED lights. Bill refuses to switch careers or modernize his business, leading to tensions with his wife, Mei Heung. Despite eventually closing the factory and becoming a taxi driver, Bill secretly reopens it with the help of his apprentice Leo. His passion for his work defines him until the end, when he tragically dies of a heart attack while still working to maintain his neon legacy.
Cecilia Choi as Prism
Cecilia Choi is a rising star in Hong Kong cinema, known for her nuanced performances. She won the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress for her role in Beyond the Dream and was also nominated for Best Actress at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards.
In A Light Never Goes Out, Cecilia plays Prism, the only daughter of Mei Heung and Bill. Prism gave up her passion for art to pursue architecture when her father’s neon sign business struggled, taking on the responsibility of supporting the family. After her father’s sudden death, Prism finds herself emotionally numb, torn between supporting her grieving mother and pursuing her own plans to move to Australia with her boyfriend. Her frustration deepens as her mother becomes obsessed with completing Bill’s final neon sign project.
Henick CHOU as Leo
Henick Chou is a rising star in Hong Kong, known for his role in Limited Education (教束) and his nomination for Best New Performer at the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards for A Light Never Goes Out.
In A Light Never Goes Out, Leo grows up in the shadow of his academically successful brother, feeling inadequate and eventually estranged from his family. After being kicked out of his home, he stumbles upon Bill, a neon sign craftsman, and becomes fascinated with the craft. Bill takes Leo under his wing, helping him regain a sense of purpose. However, after Bill’s sudden death, Leo faces homelessness once again and lies to Mei Heung about Bill’s last wish to remake a neon sign. Through this journey, Leo rediscovers his passion and self-worth.
Ben YUEN as
Master Wong
Ben Yuen is a veteran actor in Hong Kong, who gained wide recognition for his performance in Tracey, winning Best Supporting Actor at the 55th Golden Horse Awards and the 38th Hong Kong Film Awards. His extensive career spans both film and stage, where he has been frequently nominated and celebrated for his work.
In A Light Never Goes Out, Yuen plays Master Wong, a neon sign draftsman who severed ties with his parents in his youth to pursue art. Over the years, he built a career as a professional draftsman and collaborated closely with Bill, the neon sign master. As Wong faces the end of his wife's life, he dedicates himself to fulfilling her last wish. After Bill's sudden death, he teams up with Mei Heung and Leo to complete Bill’s final project of recreating a neon sign, honoring their friend's memory.