Brief
Skip to main content Skip to navigation Close dialogue 1 / 1 Next image Previous image Toggle caption Print subscriptions Search jobs Sign in Eur Europe edition UK edition US edition Australia edition International edition The Guardian - Back to home The Guardian News Opinion Sport Culture Lifestyle Show more Hide expanded menu News View all News World news UK news Climate crisis Ukraine Environment Science Global development Football Tech Business Obituaries Opinion View all Opinion The Guardian view Columnists Cartoons Opinion videos Letters Sport View all Sport Football Cricket Rugby union Tennis Cycling F1 Golf US sports Culture View all Culture Books Music TV & radio Art & design Film Games Classical Stage Lifestyle View all Lifestyle Fashion Food Recipes Love & sex Health & fitness Home & garden Women Men Family Travel Money Search input google-search Search Support us Print subscriptions Search jobs Holidays Digital Archive Guardian Licensing Live events About Us The Guardian app Video Podcasts Pictures Newsletters Today's paper Inside the Guardian Guardian Weekly Crosswords Wordiply Corrections Tips Search input google-search Search Search jobs Holidays Digital Archive Guardian Licensing Live events About Us Books Music TV & radio Art & design Film Games Classical Stage Comic relief … Unidentified Murder. Photograph: PR IMAGE View image in fullscreen Comic relief … Unidentified Murder. Photograph: PR IMAGE Film Review Unidentified Murder review – playful sendup of alien abduction and true crime influencers in Hong Kong Childhood friends claim to have witnessed the disappearance of a schoolkid in this low-budget comedy caper that pushes limits of storytelling Phuong Le Mon 7 Sep 2026 08.00 CEST Last modified on Mon 7 Sep 2026 08.01 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google M odestly scaled and intricately structured, Kwok Ka-Hei and Jack Lee Chun-Kit’s comedy is a capriciously playful send-up of true crime aficionados and wannabe influencers, done with affection rather than malice. It revolves around a (fictional) 25-year-old case that captivates the whole of Hong Kong . Back when they were seven, childhood friends Mark (Ling Man-lung) and Kit (Ronald Lam Tsz-kit) claimed to have witnessed the abduction by aliens of their classmate Ho in the woods of Tung Tau Hill. On the 25th anniversary of this supposed incident, the pair re-enter the internet’s consciousness after an interview on an online chatshow about unsolved mysteries. Cashing in on their viral fame, Mark’s girlfriend Man (Renci Yeung) hires actor Kim (Peter Chan Charm-man) to pretend to be Ho, all in the hope of racking up views on her social channels. Just when the cameras are all set up, Man watches in horror as the staged reunion leads to a real murder … or does it? The film unfolds in a series of increasingly tricksy complications and reversals. All of a sudden, apparent victims are revealed to be scheming masterminds, and vice versa. As most of the actions take place in the forest where the abduction supposedly occurred, the plot derives comic relief from the increasingly blurred line between truth and playacting. Largely shot with handheld cameras, it has a visual style that lends authenticity to representations of online media, though occasionally this distracts from the physical comedy performed by the cast. The constant twists also turn into bit of a competitive sport, meaning the film becomes more of a writing exercise than anything else. At the same time, considering the modest budget, the film-makers’ efforts at pushing the limits of meta storytelling are quite admirable. But what keeps Unidentified Murder engaging is the chemistry between Ling Man-lung and Ronald Lam, who compellingly capture a sense of genuine friendship amid a vortex of chaotic mishaps and shenanigans. Unidentified Murder is in UK cinemas from 11 September. Explore more on these topics Film Hong Kong Comedy films Science fiction and fantasy films Crime films Asia Pacific Comedy reviews Share Reuse this content Most viewed Most viewed Books Music TV & radio Art & design Film Games Classical Stage News Opinion Sport Culture Lifestyle Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning Sign up for our email About us Help Complaints & corrections Contact us Tip us off SecureDrop Privacy policy Cookie policy Tax strategy Terms & conditions All topics All writers Newsletters Digital newspaper archive Bluesky Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Threads TikTok YouTube Advertise with us Search UK jobs Tips Accessibility settings Work with us Back to top © 2026 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr)
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