A busy city man (Fai Chen) is back to his hometown as his widowed dad (Tam Yee Swee) hasn't been well and the son is afraid he's losing the ability – but more worryingly the will – to look after himself. Lost in his memories and sorrow, the dad listens to a radio station broadcasting some good old songs and he seems completely absorbed in his own world, ignoring his son's rational concerns about medicines and housekeeping. One day, while laundering, the father is suddenly mesmerized by a song the radio is airing. It's the beautiful 1961 “Bu Liao Qing” (Endless Love) and, almost hypnotised, he starts an impromptu waltz with … the ghostly memory of his wife, his true endless love. What follows is a small accident, something of a nuisance at first, but also something that will move the son and lead to a mutual understanding and remembrance.
A 10min short film, “My Ba's Radio” is a poignant observation of grief, memories and the painful coping with both. In its short running time, the director and co-writer (with Andy Darrel Gomes) Victor Chen Yee Fei give us a deep dive into the complex sentiments of the two protagonists. Emotional and compelling, it might make you shed a tear or two, but at its core it has a positive attitude and a longing for healing.
Even not knowing much about the filmmaker, it soon becomes clear that this film is very personal to him, the emotions are profound and honest and the psychology behind the father/son interactions is clearly exposed in only few touches and some neatly framed shots of revealing details, from unconventional POV. I especially enjoyed the otherworldly feeling that old tech – like the dad's old radio – provides. The appliance turns into a time machine, like a wormhole where the music is a bridge between the world of the living and a world where passed souls can still dance.
Cinematographer Yuki Eyok Wun Sim's beautiful work gives a sepia-tinted feeling to the shots that perfectly match the dreamy remembrance atmosphere. All delivered together by the accurate editing from Willie Ong Hui Lee.
Despite being a debut film, “My Ba's Radio” earned Victor Chen Yee Fei the Best Short Film at the Mantova Lovers Film Festival in Italy; a very mature piece of filmmaking from a director guided by his emotions and empathy.
