Far Far Away (2022)

IT nerd "Hau" (Kaki Sham) is an ordinary, shy, man who lives in Hong Kong whilst admiring the pretty girls from afar, but with no real prospects of ever engaging with any of them - even if he has developed his own dating app! Then, suddenly "Lee" (Cecilia So) decides to allow him to date her - but only on a Saturday. That ought to have got alarm bells ringing, but anyway the two get along amiably enough as he drives her the length of the province to and from her home. Not long after, he finds himself the attention of another young lady (a bridesmaid), then another, then another... Now at this point I am wondering if the women are alerting each other to this charming and affable free taxi service? Well what develops here now is actually quite a charming, light comedy that raises more of a smile than a guffaw but still has enough humour to pass the hundred minutes it takes for us - and "Hau" to realise just what is going on as he tries to juggle all five relationships without running out of petrol! It's a nice showcase of the HK location, makes a very gentle aside to the political situation and once the characters are established (to be fair, they are all pretty undercooked anyway) the film begins to feel a bit more natural as he gradually gets more and more out of his depth, emotionally. It is not a film I can promise to remember, but I did quite enjoy the dynamics as they unravelled before me in the cinema.