Review | Vital Signs movie review: Louis Koo, Neo Yau play ambulance paramedics in wistful drama
Polar opposites come together and have changes of heart in Cheuk Wan-chi’s film. Seeing Koo without a gun in his hand is refreshing
3.5/5 stars
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.
“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.
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.