Once Upon a Time in HKDSE: A Wistful Exploration of Hong Kong’s Public Exam Stress

The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) has been a source of traumatic memories for many Hong Kong people over the decades. A new documentary, Once Upon a Time in HKDSE, offers a clear-sighted and empathetic account of the experience.

The film, directed by Leung Yik-ho, is an on-the-ground look at one current candidate’s stressful last-minute preparations and a wistful look back at what it all meant for another former exam taker. The nominal protagonist is Tang Ngai-hong, a candidate for the HKDSE in 2023. When we first meet him, he is just four months away from the exam and clearly far behind in his study progress.

Stressful last-minute preparations

In an unusual arrangement, the Trial & Error team enlist a roster of private teachers, including the star tutor Jayden Lam Yat-yan (aka YY Lam), to help Tang make up for lost time. Will the practical and emotional support that everyone showers on Tang make a difference?

Meanwhile, it is the secondary storyline, featuring Trial & Error co-founder and the film’s co-producer Hui Yin as a former candidate who has long struggled to process his exam-related regrets, that proves to be both funnier and far more poignant than Tang’s story.

“I’m not sure if I’m ready for the exam. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.”

Hui Yin, a former candidate who has long struggled to process his exam-related regrets

Hui’s conversations with his mother are among the film’s unexpected highlights. In the process of studying alongside Tang and retaking two subjects in the 2023 HKDSE, the 30-year-old entertainer also gets a much-needed second chance to put his past academic ordeal in context.

In the end, Once Upon a Time in HKDSE is not so much a thrilling testament to one student who works miracles right before the finish line as it is a casually philosophical look at the first major hurdle in the lives of most of these Hong Kong students.

The first major hurdle in the lives of most Hong Kong students

How are they supposed to push themselves to their limits for the HKDSE – but not so hard that they end up killing themselves? And what’s the big deal about it even if one fails at this exam? Leung’s film offers no easy answers, but at least it is asking many of the right questions.

If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.