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Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

A Passage Through Time

  1. FADE IN


  2. Act 1


  3. INT. STUDY - 23:30 (The night before)


  4. After publishing a screenplay, PETER brows through his previous works on screen including "When We're Young" with a black-and-white image of two young man.


  5. PETER (V.O.): I feel a wave of nostalgia washes over me.


  6. Recalling.


  7. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): On Dec 27, 2022, I wrote a screenplay dedicated to my former matriculation classmate Cheung Kam-sin who had passed away in Macao.


  8. Recalling.


  9. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Due to the then Macao's Covid travel restrictions, I couldn't attend his funeral.


  10. We see Peter has got an idea.


  11. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I can revisit the school we went together on my way back my NT home.

  12. Act 2


  13. EXT. YEUNG LONG AREA - 13:00


  14. Coming out from the Long Ping metro station, Peter looks confused.


  15. PETER (V.O.): My first time getting off from this station.


  16. Walking along a pedestrian walkway, Peter observes the surroundings.


  17. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The passage of time has brought significant changes to the town.


  18. Then, Peter looks excited.


  19. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): On my right is the Yuen Long District Office, I worked there from 1976 - 1980, in the Squatter Control Unit.


  20. Recalling.


  21. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The upside was that as I had to drive my to discharge official duties, I got car-related allowances.


  22. Using his mobile, Peter takes photos of the old office buildings.


  23. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The downside was that I hated the destructive nature of my work.


  24. Later, Peter arrives at the Heung Yee Kuk Secondary School.


  25. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Ah! It looks no different from 1971 - 1973, when Kam-sin and I studied here.


  26. Having captured images of the School, Peter stares at its basketball court.


  27. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The black-and-white photo depicting Kam-sin and me was taken there.


  28. Reminiscing.


  29. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): It was actually a group photo...including Chan King-chau and Wu Shue-fun...


  30. Reminiscing.


  31. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): In summer 1974, they're struck dead by lightning at Lantau Peak during a sunrise climb.


  32. Reminiscing.


  33. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): So many memories...It feels like just yesterday.


  34. Later, we see Peter swimming laps in a public swimming pool.


  35. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): While preparing for my LLB exams in 1984, I came here to clear my mind.


  36. Swimming.


  37. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Swimming is my simple and cheap pleasure. Does it make me rich in any way?


  38. Later, we see Peter walking past a row of catering shops.


  39. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): When Kam-sin and others needed pocket money, I lured them to work with me.


  40. Sighing.


  41. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Kam-sin died a billionaire.


  42. Recalling.


  43. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): In 2014, he was very sick but cheated death. Should he content with the bonus years he lived?


  44. Thinking.


  45. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): No. One has to do whatever it takes to survive.


  46. INT. PETER'S NT HOME - 17:00


  47. Peter is decluttering a number of files marked "WTO Panel".


  48. PETER (V.O.): Apart from me, who cares that I had the privilege to determine disputes among US & Australia v European Communities from 2004-2005?


  49. Pausing.


  50. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): What motivates me to declutter them now is that I don't want to leave the mess to those surviving me.


  51. Act 3


  52. INT. STUDY - 22:00


  53. Working on a laptop, Peter selects an AI drawing and inserts it into a draft.


  54. PETER (V.O): This AI drawing is entitled "A Passage Through Time", depicting the impact of the past on the present.


  55. Pausing.


  56. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I've experienced a lot, and I can remember how I've transited from one stage of my life to another.


  57. Pausing.


  58. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): While I think nostalgia can be a powerful tool for self-reflection. I must be adaptable to change which is the only constant in life.


  59. FADE OUT


  60. THE END








































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