Time Still Turns the Pages

The film opens with Cheng Yau-kit sitting despondently on a condo rooftop, dreaming of becoming a teacher. The scene hints at the personal burdens he will carry later. This present-day moment anchors the dual timeline that follows.

Cheng discovers a suicide note in the classroom trash and reports the finding to the headmaster. The vice principal advises ignoring the note to avoid unsettling students’ preparation for university entrance exams.

Cheng, desperate to prevent more tragedies, enlists Ka-yee, the class monitor, to help identify students who may be considering suicide. They begin a process of reaching out and monitoring signs among classmates.

A flashback reveals Yau-kit as a well-educated but academically struggling schoolboy under his father Chi-hung's stern gaze. His brother Yau-chun is a prodigy who excels in both academics and music, creating pressure on Yau-kit.

An educator's advice leads Yau-kit to start a diary to aid language learning. Chi-hung promises a trip to Disneyland if Yau-kit can place in the top 15, a goal that mounts pressure.

Despite his efforts, Yau-kit’s grades worsen and he ranks near the bottom, forcing him to repeat a grade. His father becomes enraged and punishes him with a severe beating, while Yau-chun quietly studies nearby.

To cheer his brother, Yau-chun takes Yau-kit to buy toys and play on the rooftop. They are caught, and Heidi scolds Yau-kit, deepening the sense of failure that haunts him.

Feeling abandoned as the family plans to go to California without him, Yau-kit tries to hug Yau-chun, who casually says he will bring souvenirs back. Believing his family would be happier without him, Yau-kit commits suicide.

The family is devastated by the loss; Chi-hung hides Yau-kit's death and pretends it was an illness. Heidi is overwhelmed and leaves the family; Yau-chun is traumatized and decides to honor Yau-kit's dream by becoming a teacher.

Back in the present, the teacher Cheng is revealed to be Yau-chun, who has not spoken with his father for years. He travels to visit Chi-hung, now terminally ill, and they share guilt and regret for Yau-kit's death.

Chi-hung passes away soon after their reunion. Before dying, he and Yau-chun embrace; Yau-chun writes down his story in Yau-kit's diary and passes it to Sherry, hoping it will be shared through her radio drama program.

On graduation day, Cheng leaves his phone number with his students, offering help and encouragement. The film closes with a text from a student who wrote the suicide note seeking counseling from him.