I Blew Out the Candles Before Making a Wish is the feature debut of directors Chao Koi-wang and Hu Chin-ye, offering a view of Macau far removed from its usual casino-driven image. The film focuses on everyday lives defined by debt, absence, and survival, following a young girl and a debt collector whose paths unexpectedly cross. At its centre are Jojo, a perceptive child played with striking naturalism by Mui Cheng-in, and Hua, portrayed by Kai Ko in one of his most understated roles. Ko also stands out for his commitment to supporting emerging filmmakers, having taken a significant pay cut to be part of the production, continuing his interest in smaller, character-driven, and collaborative projects.
During this year’s Far East Film Festival in Udine, we had the pleasure of speaking with director Chao Koi-wang and actor Kai Ko. Together, they discussed building characters who are flawed yet very human, Ko’s preparation for performing in Cantonese, his collaboration with Mui Cheng-in, and his ongoing work as both an actor and a director.
View of the Arts: Many films about Macau focus on casinos, but you chose to stay mostly on the side of it. So what drew you to the quieter, less flashy style of the city?
Chao Koi-wang: There were a couple of reasons. First, there are already so many films about gambling, and I felt I wouldn’t be able to present it in the same stylish way – they do it so well, and I knew early on that I wouldn’t have the budget for that kind of scale. So from the beginning, I didn’t really consider focusing on the more spectacular side of casinos.
Secondly, the story centres on a child, and children aren’t allowed into casinos. That’s actually where the story begins. Since the character can’t even enter a casino, it wouldn’t make sense to include too much of that world.
Another practical reason was that, in the worst-case scenario, we might not have been able to access a casino at all, since they are very difficult to secure as locations. In the end, we were fortunate to use an abandoned casino and rebuild it for filming. But in the early stages, we had to assume we wouldn’t have access to one, so we deliberately avoided relying on casino settings.
VOA: Since your film mostly takes place outside casinos, was your intention to move away from that setting and show more of everyday life in Macau?
Chao Koi-wang: Yes, that’s part of the reason. In reality, people in Macau don’t go to casinos very often, maybe just once a year during holidays like the Chinese New Year. I do have some friends from outside Macau, but if the film were set mostly inside casinos, it wouldn’t really reflect everyday life in the city. So I wanted to show another side of Macau, focusing more on the daily lives of ordinary people rather than what happens inside casinos. Yes, that was the main idea.
Hua is a debt collector who’s too kind for his job – how did you approach balancing his gentleness with his circumstances? Was any specific research done for this role?
Kai Ko: At the beginning, we had quite a few discussions with the team. I wanted to approach the character in a way that felt realistic and believable. To me, he is someone who hasn’t really succeeded at anything in his life. And yet, he is still willing to accept things – like agreeing to let his partner go to Taiwan. Because of that, his state of mind is quite restrained. He doesn’t allow himself to dwell too much on darker thoughts.
In a place like Macau, if someone were willing to act on those thoughts, there are many ways to make money or “succeed,” but his personality simply doesn’t allow him to go down that path. We also discussed at one point whether to make the girl more of a victim, but in the end, we felt that wouldn’t be the right direction. Instead, we decided to keep the character grounded. People like him do exist in real life – not in such extreme situations, perhaps, but there are people who, despite everything, still choose kindness in different aspects of their lives.
VOA: The film avoids clear villains, even among morally grey characters. Was this a deliberate response to typical crime or gambling narratives?
Chao Koi-wang: Aside from the gambling elements, what I really wanted to show is that these people are, at their core, kind. Everyone offers support in their own way, but in reality, most people tend to stand by one person more strongly, especially when it comes to children. There is a natural sense of care and kindness. In the end, the film also speaks to this idea: the world is full of difficulties and temptations, but we shouldn’t be afraid of them. It’s through these challenges that we begin to find connection, friendship, and bonds between people. From my own experience, I’ve met people who might be seen as “bad” or part of the darker side of society, but they also have another side to them. They may look fierce or intimidating, but deep down, they can be kind and surprisingly easy to get along with. There’s a real sense of humanity to them.
VOA: Hua’s relationship with Jojo is subtle but central. How did you build that connection on screen? I really like how you filled that void of a missing father figure.
Kai Ko: While interacting with the girl and reading the script, it was clear that she is a very smart child, someone who knows exactly what she’s doing. So within that framework, beyond what was already written, I wanted to shape my character into someone even more flawed – more hesitant, more uncertain, and a bit more timid. In contrast, the girl comes across as more mature than her appearance suggests. I felt that this dynamic would make their relationship more compelling to watch. In a way, it’s like the child becomes the leader, while my character is more honest but also somewhat of a burden. Through their interactions, this contrast gradually makes their relationship more interesting and engaging, and brings them closer together.
VOA: I am very curious what the casting for Jojo’s character was like?
Chao Koi-wang: At the beginning, we were quite worried about casting the child, because Macau is such a small place and there hasn’t really been a tradition of young film actors. We even considered looking in places like Guangzhou, Hong Kong, or Malaysia. But we thought we should try Macau first. So we put out a call for interested children, and more than 200 came. Instead of asking them to perform, I spoke with each of them for about fifteen minutes. I just had conversations with them, and I paid attention to those who gave interesting answers or who showed some thought and awareness.
From that, we selected ten children. Among those ten, I didn’t particularly notice her at first. She was actually the cutest and most conventionally pretty, and I wasn’t really looking for that – I was hoping to find someone a bit more playful or distinctive. But during the workshops, when the teacher asked them to relax and play, there was a moment when they were told to imagine calling out to their father. At that point, this little girl, Mui Cheng-in, quietly started to cry. That really caught our attention, and we began to focus on her more. Afterwards, in every scene we asked her to try, she performed very well. Gradually, she became our first choice.
Yes, that’s how it came together.
VOA: Kai Ko, you learned Cantonese for this role. As the language has multiple tones, where even slight differences can change the meaning of a word, I’m curious about your experience. How challenging was it to learn, and have you received any feedback from Cantonese-speaking audiences on your performance?
Kai Ko: Yes, I studied it for about six months, but Cantonese is really difficult. Even people in Hong Kong say it’s very different, and for foreigners, it’s especially challenging. At the beginning, I felt quite frustrated – many people even told me not to learn Cantonese at all. Along the way, I had some funny experiences too. Sometimes, just getting one tone wrong would turn a word into something completely different, even a swear word. That happened quite often during the process. But because we had a director on set and everyone around me was speaking Cantonese, they would correct me as I went along.
Cantonese is really a language where a small mistake can change the meaning entirely. During the preparation, I also stayed in Hong Kong for a while before filming, as promised, to get more familiar with the language. I tried to talk and listen as much as possible, and I was really happy to have the chance to get to know a new language in this way.
VOA: Over the past few years, you’ve worked on several projects, including We Need to Talk About Chu, Kung Fu, and I Blew Out the Candles Before Making a Wish. With such a range of roles, I’m curious – how do you manage to detach yourself from each character in between shoots, and reset before moving on to the next?
Kai Ko: Not really. I don’t feel that I get too attached to each character. For me, it also depends on the process. I do my own preparation, but I really need to work closely with the director, because they are the ones who truly understand the story. With each project, I spend a lot of time checking whether my understanding and the director’s vision are aligned.
It’s a collaborative process where we build the character and the story together. Once that’s finished, I usually give myself a break. I like to travel, go abroad if possible, and step away from work. It helps me reconnect with myself – my more playful, childlike side – and return to being just me again. Then I wait for the next character to come along.
VOA: You came to Udine three years ago with your directorial debut, Bad Education. Looking back at that film, and thinking ahead, what kind of story would you like to tell next – and what themes or ideas are you most interested in exploring now?
Kai Ko: I’m already writing something at the moment. Personally, I quite like films that are under 100 minutes – though of course that might change as I keep writing, and it could end up being 110 or 120 minutes.
For my first film, I didn’t really have much experience, so I relied mostly on instinct and the kind of visual language I wanted to use to tell the story. This time, since it’s my second film, I do have more experience and a bigger team involved, so things might be a bit different. But right now I’m still in the script stage; I haven’t started thinking about actual shooting yet. It’s just that, personally, I tend to prefer films within 100 minutes. That’s simply the way I’m used to working.
Written and interviewed by Maggie Gogler
Featured image © View of the Arts
View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to film, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. As we continue to grow, we aim to deepen our coverage of Asian music while remaining committed to exploring and celebrating creativity across the global arts landscape.
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