The Sparkle in the Dark is a seriously melodramatic work that seeks to be morally uplifting but really only succeeds in coming across as overly preachy and clunky. And although much has been made of the inclusion of singer-actors Deep Ng and Kenny Kwan and actress Mandy Chiang in its cast, they actually have to share – and often even outright relinquish – a fair amount of screen time in this Mandarin/Cantonese movie to two others: one of whom, Hsieh Cheng-Chun, is far more credible in a tough guy role than either Ng or Kwan while the other, Benjamin Li, plays a generous do-gooder who is the film’s true hero and most admirable character.
A man who has embarked on a private crusade to provide a home for, and help reform, social outcasts with mental or other problems, Mr Lee (Li) spends a significant amount of time preaching while administering to the troubled individuals he generously treats as members of his family. For the most part, however, his earnest urgings (“Just try your best to be your best”) and bits of advice (“If you know how to love, that means you know how to sacrifice”) appear to fall on deaf ears.
And for much of the film, perhaps the ‘deafest’ person of all is Wang (Kwan), a young tough with violent, rebellious tendencies and a history of sniffing gasoline and alcohol abuse. In contrast, Siu Ho (Ng), another Hong Kong youth with a ‘past’ who has ended up at this rather sad corner of Kaohsiung, was someone Mr Lee had high hopes for; at least until his romance with Mei Ting (Chiang) abruptly hit the rocks due to his burgeoning friendship with Lang Pi (Hsieh), another temporary refugee filled with no small amount of rage.
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