Fly Me to the Moon (Chinese: 但願人長久) is a 2023 Hong Kong family drama film directed and written by Sasha Chuk, and produced by Stanley Kwan and Jun Li.
Chuk also stars in a lead role, alongside Angela Yuen and Wu Kang-ren, as a Hunanese girl who immigrated to Hong Kong at a young age and faces poverty, discrimination and family issues.
The tension between Kok Man and his wife eases when Yuen's younger sister, Lam Tsz Kuet, also migrates to Hong Kong and reunites with the family.
However, their happiness is short-lived as Kok Man is arrested for drug trafficking, leaving his wife to raise their two daughters alone for the next ten years while he is in jail.
Yuen has to work part-time to earn money and enters into a relationship with a boy named Sky who steals candy for her from a convenience store.
Kok Man informs Yuen of his decision to return to Hunan and invites her to visit their homeland during the blooming season of lilies.
Soon after, Yuen receives the news of Kok Man's death, prompting her to return to Hunan to visit her relatives on behalf of her father.
[6] In 2017, Chinese literature graduate Sasha Chuk published a semi-autobiographical novella Farewell of Summer, based on her personal experience as a mainland native who immigrated to Hong Kong when she was six years old.
[21] Edmund Lee of South China Morning Post gave the film 4/5 stars and lauded Sasha Chuk's talent as a screenwriter, director, and actress, with a fragmented yet grounded narrative and powerful performances, but noting that the serene approach may not resonate with the mainstream Hong Kong audience despite addressing various social issues.
[23] Keith Ho, writing for HK01, praised the poignant portrayal of Hong Kong's transformation over the past twenty years, drawing from Sasha Chuk's own experiences, while also highlighting the excellent performances of the cast, particularly Wu Kang-ren, and the film's clever use of different time periods as a storytelling device to portray complex family bonds.
[5] Hsiao Yun of United Daily News emphasized Sasha Chuk's exploration of identity, social structure, and the experiences of new immigrants in Hong Kong through the characters, ultimately highlighting the protagonist's journey towards a multifaceted sense of self.
[24] Fu Chi-kang, writing for The News Lens, offered a rather negative review and described the film as "poorly directed" and one of the worst in recent years, noting that despite claims of a strong script, the execution fails to deliver engaging storytelling, and cinematic techniques are not effectively employed to highlight the themes and performances.