The Narrow Road(HKAFF 2022)

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, honest cleaning service owner Chak hits tough times as a terrible economy and a dearth of supplies threatens his business. In need of an assistant, he hires Candy, a young single mother with a penchant for stealing. The two slowly forge a bond, but the cruel realities of the pandemic loom on the horizon. Painfully timely but also tender in parts, Lam Sum’s film is a poignant portrait of what happens when modern poverty is further exacerbated by an unprecedented calamity. It’s a remarkably assured directorial effort enhanced by moving performances.