MY FIRST OF MAY (无名指) (2025)

Genre: Drama
Director: James Hung
Cast: Aaron Kwok, Natalie Hsu, Nina Paw, Gigi Leung, Patrick Tam 
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: PG13
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 4 September 2025

Synopsis: My First of May follows TANG Suk Yin (Aaron KWOK) and his daughter TANG Chi (Natalie HSU), whose lives are turned upside down when Chi is diagnosed with a serious illness. Faced with this heart-wrenching reality, Suk Yin and his wife, Elaine YEUNG (Gigi LEUNG), promise to cherish every moment with Chi. Miraculously, Chi survives beyond two, but this brings significant changes. The couple sacrifices their dreams to care for her. In despair, Suk Yin withdraws and becomes a recluse...

Movie Review:

With the local scene lacking new, worthy talents and outputs that attract international attention, the Hong Kong film industry has, in recent years, shifted toward more grounded family dramas like the wildly popular The Last Dance.

My First of May is a tearjerker directed and co-written by James Hung. It follows Tang Suk Yin (Aaron Kwok), a former three-time squash champion who, after a career-ending injury, resorts to odd jobs and petty cheating to survive. He has a paraplegic daughter, Chi (Natalie Hsu), who is taken care of by Tang’s aging mother, played by veteran actress Nina Paw.

What caused Tang’s downfall? And why does he choose to live alone in an illegal subdivided flat instead of staying with his family in their government-allocated apartment?

Hung’s My First of May takes a sad and alarming look at the lowest rung of Hong Kong society liked Kwok's I'm livin' it (2020). Everything in Tang’s life feels bleak. He is very much a has-been — a man who has given up on himself after his wife, Elaine (Gigi Leung) left, unable to cope with their daughter’s condition. He pushed all responsibilities onto his mother, until she herself pleads for his return after being diagnosed with brain cancer.

There is so much grimness in My First of May that you might be tempted to brush it off as superficial melodrama. However, if you’ve watched enough documentaries, you’ll realise families facing similar struggles do exist in reality.

You can’t expect a 90-minute film to delve deeply into complex issues like muscular dystrophy, caregiving burnout or social pressures. Hung does what he can — focusing on the fractured relationship between Tang and Chi. Through a series of events, their reconciliation and reconnection unfold naturally, even if the final outcome feels inevitable.

Gigi Leung is given the thankless task of playing the mother who goes AWOL and her limited screen time is arguably the film’s weakest link. While Hsu and Paw shine in their roles, the biggest praise must go to Aaron Kwok, who continues to show tremendous strides as an actor.

My First of May is an undeniably touching family drama made for the masses. Some might easily dismiss it as a sentimental tearjerker not worth the time, but seen from another perspective, it serves as a reminder to treasure the people around us and appreciate love and joy while we still can.

Movie Rating:

(A touching family drama filled with well-acted performances)

Review by Linus Tee