3.5/5 stars In Suk Suk , two closeted gay men on the verge of their twilight years cross paths and start a clandestine extramarital affair behind the backs of their conservative families – with quietly poignant results. Inspired by the 2014 non-fiction book Oral History of Older Gay Men in Hong Kong , this gentle and melancholic romance drama is the Chinese-language debut, and third feature overall, of writer-director Ray Yeung ( Front Cover ). Winner of the awards for best actor (Tai Bo) and best supporting actress (Patra Au Ga-man) at the Hong Kong Film Awards , and easily one of the most critically acclaimed LGBT-themed movies to come out of Hong Kong in the past 20 years, Suk Suk derives its popularity in part from riding the trend of modestly staged, socially conscious and emotionally resonant films – think Mad World and Still Human – that cinema-goers have embraced in recent times. Tai Bo plays Pak, a 70-year-old taxi driver with a privately suffering wife, Ching (Au), and two grown-up children. Pak enjoys picking up his granddaughter from school, and often shares his wife’s concern about the fortunes of his unmarried daughter, Fong (Wong Hiu-yee). And then his everyday life becomes alternately exciting and tortuous when he decides to finally explore his long-concealed homosexuality. In a neighbourhood park, Pak meets his great love in Hoi (Ben Yuen Fu-wah from transgender drama Tracey ), a retired divorcee who has been converted to Christianity by his devout married son, Wan (Lo Chun-yip). Despite experiencing relief at finding peace with his sexuality, Pak, bound by family obligations and traditional values, is tacitly aware that this fleeting romance involving two grandfathers is not meant to last. A story told with furtive glances and understated expressions, Suk Suk defies its potentially maudlin premise by bringing a pair of subtle and genuine performances out of its stars. Even during intimate scenes filmed in a gay bathhouse, Yeung keeps his direction sensitive, and his audience can’t help but feel that there is something more than mere pursuit of sexual pleasure to this unusual couple. While a subplot in the film’s last act addressing the benefits of a nursing home for gay elderly people feels a bit on the nose, the film largely sidesteps gay romance clichés to provide an insightful portrait of homosexuality in a conventional Chinese society. The isolation these gay men trapped in traditional family units feel, as well as the sense of resignation they must continually live with, leaves a lasting, wistful aftertaste. Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook