Street smart

Matters now

Drifting starts with freshly released convict Fai (Francis Ng) taking his meager belongings and heading to his old stomping grounds in Sham Shui Po to hunker down and find a home. He runs into a friend, Master (Tse Kwan-ho), scores some heroin, shoots up on the street and passes out. This is Fai's life until the city decides the homeless community is an eyesore and tags everything Fai, Master, and the rest of the dispossessed as garbage to be disposed of.

Drifting relies on the community bond among the street sleepers, and so casting actors able to portray that connection through tone and rhythm was crucial. Li was fortunate to get an early commitment from lead actor Ng, an industry veteran and one of Hong Kong's most versatile actors with a knack for forging empathy with unpleasant characters, be it icy hitmen (The Mission), down-on-their-luck salarymen (Men on the Dragon) or maniacal warlords (The Bride With White Hair).

"He replied almost immediately. He makes up his mind and tells you if he likes it or not, no hesitation," recalls Li of pitching Ng the role. More importantly, "He understood my vision, what I wanted to do, right away. He read the script and never asked 'Why?' when it came to the street sleepers."

Drifting has no flashbacks or backstories. Li stitched together a vivid cast of theater pros and emerging talent that effortlessly convey a family dynamic. Among the other vets are: The Mad Phoenix star Tse Kwan-ho as the elderly, gentle Master; Chu Pak-hong (My Prince Edward) in the role of the short-fused junkie Dai Shing; and Loletta Lee (Ordinary Heroes) as the motherly Chan Mui. Cecilia Choi (Beyond the Dream) plays the young social worker who does her best to help the street sleepers make their case, and the silent, sensitive Muk is played by up-and-comer Will Or (Weeds on Fire).