Lost Souls

1989 1h 28m CN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 8

ComedyFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Like many Hong Kong people, the Ling family are hoping to immigrate to Canada - but then they all die in a gas poisoning accident. Something wimpy like dying isn't going to stop them from their Canadian dreams, but it turns out migrating in the next life takes money, too. In order to raise funds to head west, the Lings return to the mortal world and get to work making money through various jobs, raising plenty of hilarious havoc and misunderstandings along the way.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Bill Tung Biu
Ling Hao-hsi
Lydia Shum Tin-Ha
Mrs. Ling
David Wu
Chao Te-chu
Shirley Lu Hsiu-Ling
Ling Chia-chia
Sheila Chan Suk-Lan
Ling Ling-ling
Lowell Lo Koon-Ting
Ma Hui
Mark Cheng Ho-Nam
Inspector Ho
Lawrence Ng
Paul Hsiao

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Lai Tai-Wai
Writers: Barry Wong Ping-Yiu
Languages: Cantonese
Countries: Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Lai Tai-Wai, shot by Raymond Lam. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Violet Lam. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Poon Hung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bill Tung Biu and Lydia Shum Tin-Ha and David Wu carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0097395 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Lai Tai-Wai directs. Raymond Lam behind the camera. Violet Lam scores. Poon Hung cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Hong Kong. Dialogue in Cantonese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
237 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by David Lai Tai-Wai, shot by Raymond Lam. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Violet Lam. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Poon Hung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Bill Tung Biu and Lydia Shum Tin-Ha and David Wu carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0097395 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 8 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.