WFG RATING: A+

Showalker and Golden Scene presents a One Cool Production film in association with the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers. Directed by Jackson Sen Lam and Antonio Tam. Produced by Jacqueline Liu. Written by Antonio Tam. Cinematography by Wong Shek-Keung. Edited by Philip Chan and J. Him Lee.

Stars Anthony Perry Wong, George Au, Louisa So, Sheena Chan, Wing Mo, and Summer Chan.

A pastor questions his moral compass between forgiveness and revenge in this tense drama from the duo of Jackson Sen Lam and Antonio Tam.

Pastor Paul Leung is the head of the Church of Faith and Love. He talks about the beauty of struggling through and overcoming pain as three years ago, his daughter had committed suicide after being assaulted and ended up pregnant. For a long time, Paul and his wife had suffered, thinking what could have been of their daughter and in some sense, it had caused a bit of a rift in their marriage. 

However, Paul soon finds himself in a major predicament. Chan Tsz Lok, the young man who was responsible for what happened to his daughter, has been released from prison. When he was released, he promised his late grandmother that he would find faith and join a church. When he joins Paul’s church, Paul constantly finds himself questioning his faith and whether he can forgive Chan for his daughter’s death. Paul must decide what comes first: being a man of God and forgiving Chan or be a father first and exact his revenge for the death of his daughter. 

Written by co-director Antonio Tam, this film brings to mind a very tense predicament of questioning a moral compass, especially when it comes to Pastor Leung. Excellently played by Hong Kong film icon Anthony Perry Wong, Paul is willing to hear Chan’s side of the story. Yes, he is upset and part of him wants to kill him for what transpired. However, he is willing to hear his side of the story and kudos goes to George Au as the young man who is seeking redemption and faith within himself with the hope of forgiveness on the part of Paul and his wife. 

It is very hard to root for one side of the spectrum here. On the one hand, one hopes Pastor Leung does the right thing. However, what is the right thing? What comes first? Being a man of God or being a father? Feeling haunted by what happened to his daughter and knowing the man responsible is right there, he tries his hardest and is willing to listen. He feels in retrospect, he may have failed as a father perhaps due to his faith and looks to seek redemption in himself as a father. 

As for Chan, a flashback reveals what exactly happened to him that triggered the events that changed both his and the Leungs’ lives forever. We see him as the constant target of school bullies. He believes Ching, Paul’s daughter, was always nice to him, standing up to the bullies. However, a dark revelation reveals that Ching may not be the perfect daughter Paul thinks she has always been and it is that revelation that leads to the life-altering events. Even when Chan himself helps a young woman out in a similar situation and tries to talk to the Pastor about it, he is met with reservations. This leads to a very emotional and tense conclusion where all questions are answered. 

Valley of the Shadow of Death is an emotional rollercoaster of a film that questions moral compasses, with Anthony Perry Wong once again showing why is a Hong Kong icon and a tour de force performance from George Au. 

The film will be released in UK theaters on November 14.