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Edmund Lee

2.5/5 stars
The eccentric behaviour of an excessively passionate Hong Kong film geek serves as the inspiration behind Remember What I Forgot, a sentimental comedy-drama set on the fringes of the city’s fabled entertainment industry.
Shot in 2017 but shelved until now, this directorial debut from Keian Chui Tze-yiu – whose second film, Showbiz Spy, was released in 2021 – gently amuses with its observations on some rarely considered aspects of Hong Kong cinema, only to fumble the plot whenever it shifts its focus onto the personal life of its fictionalised protagonist.
Veteran actor Philip Keung Ho-man, in what at one point was meant to be his first film-leading role – before his acclaimed part in the 2018 transgender drama Tracey – plays Kim, a mystery man who regularly shows up at film sets and promotional events even if he has no business whatsoever taking part.


Kim’s exploits catch the attention of TV producer Ginger (Fish Liew Chi-yu), who, together with her cameraman Fat Sausage (Eric Tsui Ho-cheong), decide to make him their reality show’s latest subject and “expose” him as a notorious internet critic known for extorting advertising money with the threat of negative reviews – despite the fact they have no proof it is him.
Once she gets to know Kim, however, Ginger is won over by his devotion to film appreciation. She then changes her mind about Kim completely when he somehow remembers her name from the credits of a little-seen film that she scripted when she was still a young screenwriter with big dreams.
Remember What I Forgot is at its most intriguing when it indulges us with memories of Hong Kong cinema: from Wong Jing’s exhausting interest in gambling films and the video stores around town that had “removal sales” on for years, to the closure of the Chinachem Cinema in Tsim Sha Tsui East that felt like the end of an era for many fans.
Kim’s melodramatic backstory is less interesting. While his diagnosis of early-onset dementia may be symbolic of the fading of collective memory around him, the relationship between Kim’s caring cousin, Wah (Endy Chow Kwok-yin), and Wah’s long-suffering girlfriend (Dada Chan Ching) is too poorly developed to engage.

Viewed today, Chui’s film is ironically more refreshing as an inadvertent time capsule that treats us to the sights and sounds of bygone years – street scenes of a now-redeveloping Hung Hom neighbourhood, the late martial arts actor Mang Hoi in a small supporting role – than it is a homage to Hong Kong cinema.
It is also fun to acknowledge the relatively unpolished acting of Keung and Liew, who have both gone on to cement their places as two of Hong Kong film’s most prominent supporting performers in the intervening years.
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Philip Keung and Fish Liew star in Keian Chui’s directorial debut that indulges the audience with memories of Hong Kong cinema


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Review | Remember What I Forgot movie review: Hong Kong nostalgic comedy about local cinema fanatic

Philip Keung and Fish Liew star in Keian Chui’s directorial debut that indulges the audience with memories of Hong Kong cinema