As Tears Go By (1988) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Wah feels responsible for Fly as his protégé in the criminal underworld. Despite Fly's constant troublemaking, Wah cannot abandon him because of their bond and his sense of loyalty. Even when Fly repeatedly puts himself and Wah in danger, Wah continues to protect him, ultimately paying with his life.

Foreshadowing: Early scenes show Wah consistently covering for Fly's mistakes, establishing their codependent relationship.

• wah
• fly
• loyalty
• mob
• gangs

After Mabel dumps him and reveals she aborted his baby, then later tells Wah she has married someone else, Wah seeks a different life. He goes to Lantau to find Ngor, hoping to escape his violent existence in Mong Kok and build a future away from crime.

Foreshadowing: Ngor leaves a note asking Wah to visit someday, and the movie contrast between Mong Kok's violence and Lantau's tranquility sets up this escape motif.

• wah
• ngor
• lantau
• escape
• romance

Fly has a misguided sense of loyalty and bravado. Despite Wah arranging a legitimate fishball business for him, Fly cannot accept an honest life because he feels he has something to prove. His need to prove himself to Tony and the gang leads him to volunteer for the suicide mission.

Foreshadowing: Fly's reckless snooker bet and his desire to impress Tony show his inability to accept humble, honest work.

• fly
• loyalty
• pride
• crime

When Fly attempts the hit but is gunned down by police, Wah arrives and completes the job to fulfill the mission. More importantly, he does this to save Fly from further suffering and to end the cycle of violence. He then accepts his own death in the process.

Foreshadowing: Wah's earlier attempt to talk Fly out of the hit shows his reluctance, but his loyalty drives him to intervene.

• wah
• fly
• assassination
• death
• sacrifice

Mabel ends her relationship with Wah and reveals she aborted his baby because she cannot see a future with a mob enforcer. She represents the impossibility of a normal life for someone in Wah's profession, and her decision underscores the personal costs of his criminal lifestyle.

Foreshadowing: Mabel's dumping of Wah sets the emotional trajectory that leads him toward Ngor and Lantau.

• mabel
• abortion
• baby
• relationship

In his dying moments, Wah remembers his first kiss with Ngor - a pure, hopeful moment that stands in stark contrast to the violence that defined his life. This memory symbolizes the life he could have had, the escape he sought but never achieved, representing tragic hope lost.

Foreshadowing: The movie consistently contrasts the brutal streets of Mong Kok with the gentle, idyllic moments with Ngor on Lantau.

• memory
• kiss
• death
• hope
• ngor

Uncle Kwan, as the mob boss, needs to maintain order in his organization. When Wah robs Tony's establishment to pay off Fly's debt, it threatens the fragile peace. Kwan forces a compromise to prevent all-out war and tells Wah to control Fly before he gets killed.

Foreshadowing: Kwan's intervention establishes the hierarchy and shows the consequences of going against protocol.

• uncle kwan
• tony
• mob
• boss

Fly volunteers for the suicide mission because Tony insults him at his fishball job and humiliates him in front of others. Eager to prove himself and restore his reputation in the criminal world, Fly sees this dangerous assignment as his chance to gain respect, even though it will likely kill him.

Foreshadowing: Fly's humiliation by Tony and his inability to accept an honest life set up his desperate need for validation.

• fly
• assassination
• mission
• humiliation

After Fly wrecks Tony's car in retaliation for being insulted at his new job, Tony's gang tracks Fly down and beats him nearly to death. This is both punishment for damaging Tony's property and a message about the consequences of crossing the gang.

Foreshadowing: The attack escalates the conflict between Tony and Wah's faction, leading to Wah's confrontation with Tony.

• tony
• fly
• beating
• revenge

Wah returns home drunk and furious after Mabel dumps him and reveals the abortion. When Ngor tries to comfort him, his anger spills over inappropriately. This moment shows Wah's inability to process emotional pain without becoming aggressive, though he apologizes the next morning.

Foreshadowing: This incident creates tension but also opens the door for their relationship to deepen through reconciliation.

• wah
• ngor
• drunk
• threat

Lantau Island represents escape, hope, and a peaceful life away from Mong Kok's violence. The family restaurant and Ngor symbolize everything Wah cannot have - a normal existence. The contrast between the grimy city streets and Lantau's tranquility underscores the film's melancholic tone.

Foreshadowing: The repeated contrast between Mong Kok's violence and Lantau's peace runs throughout the film.

• lantau
• escape
• hope
• mong kok
• contrast

The film implies Wah has been in the mob life long enough that leaving is nearly impossible. His identity, relationships, and survival skills are all tied to this world. Even when he seeks escape with Ngor on Lantau, the violence from his past catches up with him, showing the impossibility of true escape.

Foreshadowing: The constant cycle of debt collection and violence establishes Wah's entrapment in criminal life.

• wah
• mob
• crime
• escape