Snuggle explores different generations' views on aging and death through the experiences of three families struggling with elderly caretaking and imminent loss. Commissioned by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, the moving documentary was shot over two years, bearing witness to the difficult journeys and decisions of life and death confronted by ordinary people. The Lees face multiple tragedies in a short period of time as the patriarch, himself tormented with illness, deals with the grief of losing his daughter and wife. His son hopes that he will soon find peace in heaven. The Chans live in an elderly home and rely on their unmarried middle-aged daughter who has long carried the financial and emotional pressure of caring for them. Lam Siu Ming duly carries out filial responsibilities for the only family he has left, the cancer-stricken mentally disabled mother who abandoned him as a child.

Snuggle

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder that causes noncancerous tumors to grow in different parts of the body. However, the Hong Kong government has been slow to allow treatment for the disease, especially in relaxing regulations for drugs that treat the tumors. Director Wong Siu-pong turns his camera on Hong Kong’s medical system with this heartrending documentary about a young TSC patient who also lost her mother to the disease.

A site of rapid redevelopment, the Hung Hom district of Hong Kong is home to the Kwun Yum temple, which attracts droves of devotees seeking financial betterment during the grandiose Treasury Opening Festival. Across the street, however, is a run-down yet lively block running a parallel economy consisting of recycling shops, illegal flea markets and modest restaurants, all on the verge of extinction.