Vital Signs movie review: Louis Koo, Neo Yau play ambulance paramedics in wistful drama
3.5/5 stars
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In Vital Signs, the converging career paths of two ambulance paramedics at very different stages in their lives provide the unusual backdrop for a soul-searching drama rooted in today's Hong Kong, with characters pondering the essence of home as they reluctantly face a wave of emigration from the city.
The fourth feature by writer-director Cheuk Wan-chi and her first since the 2014 comedy
Temporary Family , Vital Signs comes across as a notably more mature work by the multi-hyphenate who is also known as a stand-up comedian – even if its themes are not always as tightly woven as they could be.
When we first meet
Louis Koo Tin-lok 's veteran ambulanceman Ma Chi-yip, he is not responding to emergencies at some chaotic disaster scene but quietly fielding the latest appeal from his visiting parents-in-law to join them in Toronto with his young daughter, Bonnie (Ariel So Yuet-yin,
Warriors of Future ).
'This is not a great place for Bonnie to grow up in', says one of them while nodding towards the window of Ma's apartment in fire service quarters, referring to the city at large; Vital Signs was shot in 2021 – and an inferior version premiered at festivals in 2023 – but its social sentiments remain relevant.
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Ma is a broken man who, apart from having a bad back, is still reeling from the death of his wife years ago. At work the widower displays a remarkable ability to save lives, a casual disregard for protocols and a near-insolent attitude towards bureaucracy.
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South China Morning Post
10-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Cheap tickets for Hong Kong Cinema Day draw fans and calls for more promotions
Hong Kong film lovers making the most of the annual Cinema Day discounts have called for such promotions to be offered more often, while local productions emerged as popular choices. Advertisement Residents could buy tickets for HK$30 for any screenings at cinemas across the city on Saturday, with some film-goers snapping up the tickets earlier in the week when sales opened. Among cinema-goers in Causeway Bay was retiree Cara Tang and her husband, who queued for more than half an hour online to get their tickets on Wednesday for the Hong Kong film Vital Signs , a drama about two paramedics. 'We've wanted to watch this film since it came out earlier this month and decided to watch it today because cheap tickets are on offer,' Tang, 69, said. 'We chose Times Square because the timing fitted our schedule better than the screening in Central. We normally go to cinemas on weekdays when we can use our senior discounts. They are not usually available on weekends.' Cara Tang and her husband were going to watch Vital Signs. Photo: Ambrose Li Kerr Yang bought tickets for The Dumpling Queen , the rags-to-riches story of Wanchai Ferry founder Chong Kin-wo, as she is a fan of lead actress Ma Li and director Andrew Lau Wai-keung.
HKFP
07-05-2025
- HKFP
Sales for Hong Kong's Cinema Day begin with tickets priced at HK$30
Sales for Hong Kong's annual Cinema Day have begun, with tickets at theatres across the city up for grabs for HK$30. Organised by the Hong Kong Theatres Association, Cinema Day will take place on Saturday. Ticketing started at the box offices and online at noon on Wednesday. By 5pm, tickets were still readily available at most theatres, according to the ticketing websites of major cinema chains MCL, Emperor Cinemas, and Broadway Circuit. There was also no wait time to access the websites by late Wednesday afternoon, although there was a brief five-minute queue when an HKFP reporter visited the MCL and Emperor Cinemas websites at around 2pm. The movies that appeared most in demand included local dramas The Dumpling Queen and Vital Signs, Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts*, and an extended cut of The Last Dance, a homegrown melodrama released last year that became the city's highest-grossing domestic film. All tickets will be HK$30 on Saturday, except for morning shows for senior citizens, for which the price falls below HK$30. Saturday will be the city's third Cinema Day. The event was first introduced in 2023 as part of the government's 'Happy Hong Kong' campaign, meant to boost consumption and the economy amid the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Hong Kong Theatres Association, the last two Cinema Days broke records for the highest single-day attendance figures. Hong Kong's cinema scene has taken a hit since Covid-19, when restrictions ordered the closure of theatres for months at a time. Multiple cinemas, as well as major theatre chain UA Cinemas, have since closed. Last year, nine local cinemas shut as overall box office receipts in Hong Kong marked the weakest performance since 2011, according to figures compiled by Hong Kong Box Office Limited. Most recently, Newport Theatre in Mong Kok and President Theatre in Causeway Bay – both operated by Newport Circuit – closed in April. The closures left Hyland Theatre in Tuen Mun as the company's last cinema.
South China Morning Post
30-04-2025
- South China Morning Post
Vital Signs movie review: Louis Koo, Neo Yau play ambulance paramedics in wistful drama
3.5/5 stars Advertisement In Vital Signs, the converging career paths of two ambulance paramedics at very different stages in their lives provide the unusual backdrop for a soul-searching drama rooted in today's Hong Kong, with characters pondering the essence of home as they reluctantly face a wave of emigration from the city. The fourth feature by writer-director Cheuk Wan-chi and her first since the 2014 comedy Temporary Family , Vital Signs comes across as a notably more mature work by the multi-hyphenate who is also known as a stand-up comedian – even if its themes are not always as tightly woven as they could be. When we first meet Louis Koo Tin-lok 's veteran ambulanceman Ma Chi-yip, he is not responding to emergencies at some chaotic disaster scene but quietly fielding the latest appeal from his visiting parents-in-law to join them in Toronto with his young daughter, Bonnie (Ariel So Yuet-yin, Warriors of Future ). 'This is not a great place for Bonnie to grow up in', says one of them while nodding towards the window of Ma's apartment in fire service quarters, referring to the city at large; Vital Signs was shot in 2021 – and an inferior version premiered at festivals in 2023 – but its social sentiments remain relevant. Advertisement Ma is a broken man who, apart from having a bad back, is still reeling from the death of his wife years ago. At work the widower displays a remarkable ability to save lives, a casual disregard for protocols and a near-insolent attitude towards bureaucracy.
