Elisa’s Day 2021

It’s a tragic case of history repeating as two cases twenty years apart find their connections in people who were abandoned by their parents. The story begins in recent times with Sergeant Fai (Ronald CHENG), a grizzled cop who is on the verge of retirement. When he books a young woman named Daisy (Carol TO) for drug possession, the memory of an earlier case that derailed his career emerges. We are taken to 1997 and meet 15 year-old Elisa (Hanna CHAN), an innocent and naive girl who has fallen in love with Wai (Tony WU), a decent guy with a motorbike and few prospects. Elisa soon gives birth to a baby girl after the two move in together but life isn’t easy. Desperate to earn money, Wai becomes a member of the triads and commits a crime so serious he must flee Hong Kong and leave Elisa and their daughter behind to face the cruelty of society alone. When Wai returns he finds he cannot be a permanent part of their lives and their once happy family is poisoned by resentment which leads to a tragic outcome. —Jason MAHER, OAFF