Hong kong drama ‘we’re nothing at all’ – a fractured portrait of trauma

A Valentine’s Day explosion in Hong Kong ignites a sprawling, and ultimately frustrating, drama from Herman Yau’s hands – ‘We’re Nothing at All’. It’s a film riddled with paradoxes, clinging to a fractured narrative that struggles to reconcile a police procedural with a tentative exploration of queer lives.

A collision of threads

The film’s opening is undeniably arresting: a sudden, violent eruption on a seemingly ordinary bus route. This sets in motion an investigation led by Patrick Tam’s meticulous forensics specialist, Lung, who meticulously pieces together a web of intersecting lives. Yet, from this unsettling launch, Yau’s vision quickly unravels, presenting a series of disjointed threads—a volatile mix of police investigation and a rushed romance between Anson Kong and Ansonbean, two gay men grappling with economic hardship and familial rejection.

The visuals, saturated in a golden hue, initially offer a stark contrast to Lung’s sterile, bureaucratic world. The intimacy shared by Fai and Ike—rendered in lurid, close-up detail—feels deliberately staged, a momentary warmth abruptly extinguished by the cold realities of the investigation. This juxtaposition is visually arresting, yet the film’s core narrative struggles to gain purchase.

Simplistic archetypes and missed opportunities

Unfortunately, the film’s attempts to portray queer experiences fall woefully short. The characters—reduced to simplistic archetypes of the ‘noble sex worker,’ the ‘traumatized victim,’ and the ‘suicidal youth’—lack the nuanced inner lives necessary to truly resonate. They function more as vehicles for social commentary than fully realized individuals. The film’s critique of societal prejudice feels heavy-handed, projecting turmoil onto these largely vacant canvases.

Subtly, Yau injects a flicker of political awareness, referencing 2019 and 2020 protests through a fleeting scene depicting a man’s enraged reaction to a government official’s speech. However, this brief nod to contemporary Hong Kong politics doesn’t redeem the film’s broader shortcomings. Instead, it highlights the missed opportunity to craft a genuinely insightful and compassionate narrative.

A visually compelling, narratively muddled experience

‘We’re Nothing at All’ is scheduled to arrive in UK cinemas on May 29th. While Yau’s visual flair—particularly in the depiction of the aftermath of the explosion—is undeniable, the film ultimately collapses under the weight of its own ambition. It’s a frustrating exercise in style over substance, a technically proficient but emotionally hollow exploration of trauma and societal breakdown. The film’s greatest failing is its inability to connect with its central themes, leaving the audience with a lingering sense of disappointment.