Ciao UFO

Ciao UFO is a self-fulfilling title given the symbolic significance of UFOs as departures in Patrick Leung’s film. Set in 1980s Hong Kong, it follows childhood friends Kin, Heem and Hoyi, who are obsessed with aliens and space. Each child has a story separate from their group, with Kin, whose fascination with the stars stems from his father. Heem has leukaemia, and wishes to live a life free of needles, doctors and uncertain futures. Meanwhile, Hoyi takes care of her little brother in place of their busy parents. The three friends create a movie, hoping to reach the aliens. As the years pass, and life takes a toll on their friendship, they go their separate ways, tied together only by their childhood excursion and one mysterious event surrounding the sighting of a UFO.

Leung’s feature is sentimental and full of endearing characters; not just the main three, but also the family and friends that surround them. Among the highlights are Kin’s father and his dynamic with his child. The initial presentation of Kin’s strong admiration for the man contrasts greatly with the complexity of Kin’s feelings for him as an adult. Then there’s Heem and his grandfather. With Heem’s sickly disposition, it is no longer a grandchild worrying about their grandparent’s mortality – it’s a weighty yet charming role reversal. But perhaps the most fascinating relationship in Ciao UFO is between Kin and his love interest, Yan. Sultry, intimate and deeply chaste, the two bond over their complicated thoughts about family and their time together as classmates.

Not all relationships are handled with the same careful delicacy, specifically Hoyi and her partner Austin’s whirlwind romance. It’s an essential thread that drives the story forward, yet its faster pacing results in an underdeveloped connection played for laughs rather than a dissection of manipulative power imbalance. This, alongside the events in the last quarter of the piece, suffers from this breakneck speed – an unfortunate result of the earlier sluggish pacing. Ciao UFO initially feels slow and directionless. This perhaps showcases the listless adult lives of the three protagonists, each lost and unsatisfied. To amplify the effect, random scenes are added to bloat the first half of the picture, leaving little space for a cohesive approach to the ending. Still, the full-circle effect through foreshadowing with archival footage and parallelism in conversations does present a deeply touching ending.

Ciao UFO is a visually beautiful film, using contrasting colour filters to present past and present, and utilising lighting, shadows and nature to add texture to the feature. While some of the transitions may be choppy at times, others are clever, using old media such as textbooks and grainy home videos to emphasise the time period. Moreover, a focus on shapes and lines creates a futuristic look that speaks to the theme of aliens and space. Above all, Leung’s piece has heart, joy and sadness; it gives those watching hope and reminds them that while one can’t change the past, they can always start over.