No. 028 - 'As Tears Go By' by Wong Kar Wai (1988)

Watched by Matthew Donlan at the Sydney Opera House

The debut feature from Wong Kar Wai, As Tears Go By, contains the seeds that would make his filmography so explosive and distinct.

As Tears Go By centres on Wah (Andy Lau), a mid-level gangster in Hong Kong who is routinely tasked with cleaning up the mess of his 'younger brother' Fly (Jacky Cheung). Wah's loyalty to the crime life is tested though, when his beautiful cousin Ngor (Maggie Cheung) visits from Lantau Island. A forbidden attraction brews between them as Wah's and Fly's commitment is tested and tensions flair between rival gangs.

Wong Kar Wai's signature style is present here, albeit in its early stages. Step-printing, lush neon lights, and immense yearning are scattered throughout. These techniques are used effectively to slow down the pace we usually expect from a gangster flick. We linger more on the tension between characters and less on the fight itself. The slow shutter of Wah's revenge attack, streaked with blue lights and boiling pots, allows us to focus on the motive, on Wah's endless desire to protect Fly. By doing so we are embedded in Wah's psyche, only making the violence we do see more pronounced and graphic.

This slower pace though, in typical Wong Kar Wai fashion, is often disrupted by rapid cuts, snapping us back to attention. The brewing romance between Wah and Ngor is interrupted by Fly's chaos and poor choices. The heartfelt moments between brothers is broken by further violence from rival gangs. It repeats to us that these characters can never settle, never relax, so long as they float in Hong Kong's underbelly. The criminal world puts its participants in a constant state of vigilance, neighbouring on paranoia, which seeps into our viewing experience via sudden drop outs of the score or flashes of broken billiards before a bar fight. It’s efficient, clever editing that would only get stronger with time. 

The disruptive editing also aids in the atmosphere of yearning that characterises much of Wong Kar Wai's films. From the first moment Maggie Cheung's Ngor arrives at Wah's door, an instant chemistry is felt between the two. Their forbidden love takes much of the film to actualise, but the desire to be together hovers over every scene. Ngor's absence is felt on Wah's face, in his looks out to the distance, as he tries to imagine visiting Lantau Island.

Where As Tears Go By falls short is in the story itself. Wong Kar Wai's melodramatic past, from his time writing for soap operas, is present in the script and screen. Over dramatic lines are delivered with little subtlety, at times feeling hammy and on the nose. Maggie Cheung, though, does well to avoid this choice in performance, opting instead for a brooding interior that would become a strong feature of her later work with Wong Kar Wai.

Despite a romantic plot line that, even for its time must have been questionable, Wong Kar Wai imbues As Tears Go By with a strong sense of yearning, paired with immaculate visuals and a captivating pace. 

The Cinema of Wong Kar Wai continues at the Sydney Opera House with Happy Together in January 2026.

Fleapit Pick of the Week

A ceasefire means nothing without peace.

See how Israel is using Palestine as a weapons testing ground in The Palestine Laboratory, hosted by North Shore 4 Palestine.

See the effects of this first hand in the documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, premiering at Dendy Newtown.

Screenings: Thursday 06 - Wednesday 12 NOVEMBER

NEW RELEASES:

Die, My Love (Lynne Ramsay, 2025)

Prime Minister (Michelle Walshe, Lindsay Utz, 2025)

Train Dreams (Clint Bentley, 2025)

Predator: Badlands (Dan Trachtenberg, 2025)

North Shore 4 Palestine
The Palestine Laboratory (Antony Loewenstein, 2025)
Q&A w/ Antony Loewenstein
Saturday

Mechanics Cinema
Embrace of the Serpent (Ciro Guerra, 2015)
Friday

Miya Miya Film Club
Miya Miya 1st Birthday (SOLD OUT)
Friday

British Film Festival | 5 Nov. - 7 Dec.
Billy Elliot (Stephen Daldry, 2000)
25th anniversary
Friday, Monday & Tuesday

Anemone (Ronan Day-Lewis, 2025)
Centrepiece - Australian Premiere
Sunday

The History of Sound (Oliver Hermanus, 2025)
Special Event - Australian Premiere
Wednesday

Japanese Film Festival
Akanishi Kakita (Mansaku Itami, 1936)
Wednesday

Wife! Be Like A Rose! (Mikio Naruse, 1935)
Wednesday

Hayden Orpheum | selected highlights
Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
40th anniversary
Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Yi Yi (Edward Yang, 2000)
25th anniversary
Saturday

Casino (Martin Scorsese, 1995)
30th anniversary
Sunday

Golden Age Cinema | selected highlights
Debut, or, Objects of the Field of Debris as Currently Catalogued (Julian Castronovo, 2025)
Saturday

Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)
Sunday

Happyend (Neo Sora, 2025)
Tuesday

Little Trouble Girls (Urška Djukić, 2025)
Exclusive to Golden Age
Tuesday

Us And The Night (Audrey Lam, 2024)
Wednesday

Ritz Cinemas, Randwick | selected highlights
Journey Home, David Gulpilil (Maggie Miles & Trisha Morton-Thomas, 2025)
Daily

The Travellers (Bruce Beresford, 2025)
Daily

Yurlu | Country (Yaara Bou Melhem, 2025)
Q&A w/ director and Peter Garrett
Thursday

Bunny (James Branson, 2025)
Q&A w/ director and producer
Friday

Jim Jarmusch Less Is More (link)
Ghsot Dog: The Way of the Samurai (Jim Jarmusch, 1999)
Thursday

Cult Classics (link)
Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)
Saturday & Monday

Celluloid Film (link)
Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988)
Friday

Classic Matinees (link)
Death in Venice (Luchino Visconti, 1971)
Saturday & Monday

Make It Musical (link)
La La Land (Damien Chazelle, 2016)
Sunday & Wednesday

Meet Cute (link)
The 40 Year Old Virgin (Judd Apatow, 2005)
Tuesday

Dendy Newtown | selected highlights
Journey Home, David Gulpilil (Maggie Miles & Trisha Morton-Thomas, 2025)
Daily

Happyend (Neo Sora, 2025)
Daily

Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (Sepideh Farsi, 2025)
Premiere
Wednesday

Diane Keaton Tribute
The First Wives Club (Hugh Wilson, 1996)
Sunday

Cells Out (link)
Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
Thursday

Palace Cinemas | selected highlights
Signorinella: Little Miss (Swan, McFadyen, Pricolo, 2025)
Daily

The Travellers (Bruce Beresford, 2025)
Daily

Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
40th anniversary
Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Cult Vault (link)
Cool Hand Luke (Stuart Rosenberg, 1967)
Monday

Matinee Memories (link)
The African Queen (John Huston, 1951)
Saturday

Art Gallery of NSW
Film Series: Brazil! Brazil! A century of cinema
Stories that our cinema (did) not tell (Fernanda Pessoa, 2017)
Sunday

Toloa Tales
Conversation w/ Edith Amituanai and Sione Tuívailala Monū
Saturday