Summary
An observational approach to frontline workers brings some of the tension, but is a little held together by medical tape.
It’s fair to say that the multi-hyphenated director, comedian, writer and media personality Cheuk Wan-chi (aka GC Goo-Bi) has had an eclectic career. With VITAL SIGNS (送院途中), they’ve gone into what seems like fairly safe thriller territory, although this one comes with a more observational approach to the traditional tropes.
In the film, Ma (Louis Koo) has a reputation for being a bit of a maverick paramedic. He’s held back his career by never following the rules, saving lives regardless of whether it follows protocol. This is set up fairly early in the piece when Ma is called to an industrial work site accident, one where he adopts the unconventional use of a power saw to free the patient.
The stark contrast is the by-the-rules young superstar Wong Wai (Yau Hawk-sau), who’s meteoric rise in the organisation has earned him the nickname ‘Speedy Legend.’ The clash in style between the two men serves as the basis for the majority of the running time, as Cheuk’s screenplay spends its time simply observing these two frontline workers doing what they do best.
This is where Cheuk’s screenplay derives most of its tension, but there’s a secondary plot that halfheartedly adds some social commentary as well. Acknowledging the sheer amount of emigration happening out of Hong Kong, certainly in the last few years, Ma desperately tries to get permission to take off despite his poor back and over 35 status making it increasingly difficult.
While Koo gives a reliable lead performance, and Yau is a strong presence as well, it’s hard to shake the pervasive feeling that all of the pieces lack cohesive glue, as if it’s just medical tape holding them together. The observational approach gives the sense of perpetual motion, but it also tends to be a series of scenes that follow each other. As a result, it’s difficult to really hook onto any of the emotion or urgency of Ma’s plight.
Ultimately, there’s both too little development and too many threads going on in VITAL SIGNS for it to stick to any kind of emotional landing. That Cheuk chooses to eschew any major catharsis for a conclusion that points to it all just continuing probably speaks to the state of civil servants in Hong Kong. Like the rest of the issues raised here, the rest remains unresolved.
2023 | Hong Kong | DIRECTOR: Cheuk Wan-chi | WRITERS: Cheuk Wan-chi | CAST: Louis Koo, Yau Hawk-sau, Angela Yuen | DISTRIBUTOR: New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) | RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 14-30 July 2023 (NYAFF)
