Filled with many wonderful films, the Far East Film Festival has always offered a great selection of talent to interview. Through both short and long conversations, we can learn about the creative processes behind films – insights that we wouldn’t usually have the chance to discover, especially given the lack of such opportunities at UK Asian festivals.
One of those noteworthy films was Someone Like Me, written and directed by Tam Wai-ching, which explores how people with disabilities face social barriers and stigma around intimacy, often being denied the freedom to express love and desire. Director Tam delivers a thoughtful and emotionally powerful second feature, showing clear growth from her debut.
The film follows Mui, a woman with cerebral palsy, as she explores independence and her right to make choices about her own body. Through her journey and her complex connection with Ken, the story focuses on trust and the realities of intimacy.
Led by a superb performance from Fish Liew, the film challenges stereotypes, raises important questions about autonomy and “normality,” and gives an empathetic perspective on disability.
During the festival, we sat down with Tam to discuss the inspiration behind the film, as well as the casting of Mui and Ken.
View of the Arts: You once mentioned that your first film wasn’t very good. So, what have you changed and improved with Someone Like Me? And I would like to know what inspired you to make this film.
Tam Wai-ching: Yes, I feel like my first film wasn’t very good. I want to improve myself and prove that I can be a director. Is that the right way to say it? But to answer your questions;
A lot of people ask me this question, so I’d really like to share a story here. Actually, I wasn’t very interested in this topic or subject at first, because I’m not very good at making films about social issues. But I met a volunteer who used to work with migrant sex workers in Taiwan. She was originally from Hong Kong. We met, and she shared stories about people with disabilities that she had encountered in the past. I was so moved that I couldn’t stop crying. After that meeting in a café, I decided to write this script.
One of the stories she shared was about a woman she met during her service work. The woman asked the volunteer, “Can you tell me where my vagina is?” She still didn’t know where it was. And she wasn’t a young girl or a minor – she was a woman close to 40 years old. The reason is that, because of her physical disability, she had never really understood her own body, its structure, or her basic rights. This shows how, in many Asian societies, we have long overlooked the needs and care of this group of people.
Hearing these stories made me feel both emotional and, in a way, grateful. There are also real cases where some women, even as adults, have never worn makeup or beautiful clothes. Their caregivers already spend so much time on daily care that they don’t have the energy or attention left to help them get dressed. As a result, many beautiful experiences in their lives have never been explored. So for me, being able to encounter this subject is something I feel very fortunate about.
And to answer your first question about what I have improved with this project:
After I finished my first film, a senior filmmaker I really admire said something to me that really ignited my determination, maybe “determination” isn’t the right word… it made my blood boil; it fired me up. He said, “If you don’t have talent, then you shouldn’t continue being a director.” Because he’s someone I look up to, his words had a huge impact on me. It made me feel I had to do better than my first film. To be honest, I think my first film was not good. I don’t think I was ready to be a director at that time. On set, I felt that I couldn’t really lead or manage the whole team.
So for my second film, I really tried my best—I gave it everything I had. We only shot this film in 18 days, but I spent a very long time working on the script. Even though the shooting period was short, for every shot and everything I wanted to express, I was very clear about what I wanted. I think every director must be very clear about what they want to say in their film—whether artistically, in the story, or in the plot. You have to hold on to what you believe in and trust that what you like is right. That’s very important.
So I completely learned from the lessons of my first film to complete this one. It’s because of that experience that I was able to improve. I’m truly thankful for my first film, In Your Dreams, because it led to the growth I achieved in my second film—that’s probably the best way to put it.
VOA: The film tackles sensitive themes of disability and intimacy. How did you build trust with the community you were representing through the characters?
Tam Wai-ching: We needed to find the right people to do proper research. First, there was the volunteer – the one who provides sexual services to people with disabilities. Then, our lead actress also met with different individuals whose conditions were similar to the character she was portraying, as well as the younger sister’s character – people with physical disabilities, such as muscular dystrophy patients.
I’m very grateful that we were able to meet them through volunteers. We visited them in their homes, and they were incredibly generous and selfless in sharing their stories with us – both with me and with the lead actress. They shared very personal things, like their experiences with relationships, as well as the details of their daily lives – how they eat, how they go out, how they get into bed, how they use the bathroom. They also shared their physical behaviors, like their gestures, how they move, how they breathe, and even their tone of voice when speaking.
The lead actress recorded videos during these meetings and later studied and imitated them. They were truly selfless in sharing all of this, and I’m deeply thankful. I still don’t quite understand why they trusted us so much. But I remember that after the film’s premiere, they came to watch it. They were very happy, and after seeing the film, they felt like they were seeing themselves on screen.
VOA: Both actors, Fish Liew (Mui) and Carlos Chan (Ken), are superb in their respective roles. What was it like to cast actors for those roles? Did you encounter any issues while looking for the right actors?
Tam Wai-ching: It actually took a very long time to find the lead actress. After finishing the script, I think we spent another two or three years searching. Many actors in Hong Kong didn’t feel brave enough to take on this role. First, the difficulty level is very high. Second, the subject matter itself – and the scale of certain scenes – made it something not many actors were willing to try.
At the beginning, I was very ambitious, but over time, I became quite discouraged. In the end, I was almost at the point of thinking, “Whoever is willing to take it, just come.” Then the script eventually reached Fish Liew. When she read it, she really liked it. Later, I found out that she agreed to take the role without hesitation.
Afterwards, she told me that actually, she didn’t feel confident, but she didn’t want to miss the opportunity. She even said that if a director asked whether she could ride a horse, even if she couldn’t, she would still say yes just to take the role first. Later on, I realised that many years ago, she had already come across this topic. She had long been interested in subjects like sexual assistance and had always wanted to explore or even write about it. So I think it was fate that this script found her.
After finishing the film, I had a strong feeling that this role was destined for her. I really can’t think of another actress in Hong Kong who could have performed it as well as she did.
As for Carlos, he was originally an artist under a film company. Before I had even started casting for the male lead, he told me that he had secretly taken the script from the company to read, and he loved it.
Actually, he wasn’t my first choice at the beginning. But after meeting him, I was deeply moved by his sincerity. I believe that as long as an actor truly has the heart and passion to do something, the director and actor can overcome any challenges together. So, I chose to trust Carlos, and in the end, he delivered an outstanding performance.
VOA: Thank you so much for your time, and we look forward to your next project.
Written and interviewed by Maggie Gogler
Featured image © 2026 Alice BL Durigatto
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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