As Tears Go By 旺角卡門 (1988): The Movie Where a Drunk Man Said "Eat Shit" and Became an Immortal Meme — But It's Actually a Tragedy

Let me ask you something.

When you hear the phrase "食屎啦你" ("Eat shit, you!"), what comes to mind?

Probably a certain表情包 —张学友那张嚣张的脸，歪着嘴，满脸不屑。

That image has been shared billions of times. It's one of the most famous memes in Chinese internet history. And it comes from this film — As Tears Go By,王家卫的导演處女作。

But here's the thing. That meme is a lie.

Well, not a lie exactly. That scene exists. But the film is not a comedy. It's not even an action film, not really. It's a tragedy about two brothers who can't escape their fate, a love story that never gets to bloom, and a world where the only way to be remembered is to die.

That meme has made As Tears Go By immortal. But it's also made people forget what the film is actually about.

Today, I want to talk about that film. The real one.

Part One: A Film About Nothing — And Everything

As Tears Go By is Wong Kar-wai's first film. It was released in 1988. It was Wong Kar-wai's directorial debut. It was produced by Alan Tang, a famous actor and producer at the time.

The film follows Ah Wah (Andy Lau), a small-time gangster in Mong Kok, and his younger sidekick, Fly (Jacky Cheung). They work for a triad. They collect debts. They get beaten up. They beat others up. They live in cramped apartments with dirty dishes in the sink.

Ah Wah's cousin, Ngor (Maggie Cheung), comes to stay with him while she's sick. They fall in love. But Ah Wah can't escape his life. And Fly, who is desperate to prove himself, keeps dragging him back into danger.

That's it. That's the plot.

But if you watch the film closely, you'll see something else. You'll see a director who is trying to figure out what cinema can do. You'll see a film that is a black and white, but the black and white is actually color, but the color is actually a metaphor.

Wong Kar-wai once said that he didn't know how to make a film when he made this one. He just did what felt right. And what felt right was: long takes, slow motion, fragmented editing, and characters who speak in fragments, who never quite say what they mean.

This is not a "classic" in the traditional sense. It's a director's first attempt at finding his voice. And it's all there — the loneliness, the longing, the beauty, the pain.

Part Two: The Romance — Ah Wah and Ngor

Ah Wah and Ngor's relationship is the heart of the film. It's also the thing that makes the tragedy so unbearable.

They meet when she comes to stay with him. She is sick. He is distant. They barely talk. But slowly, they start to connect. He takes her to the movies. She cooks for him. He puts his arm around her.

There is a scene where they are at a bus stop. Ah Wah is leaving. Ngor is standing there, watching him. He turns back. They look at each other. The camera holds on them for a long time. They don't say anything. They don't need to.

This is the scene that made me fall in love with this film. It's not sentimental. It's not forced. It's just two people looking at each other, and you can see everything they feel.

Then Ah Wah leaves. He goes back to his life. And Ngor goes back to her life. And that's it. That's the whole love story. It's a love story that never happens. And that's why it's so beautiful.

Part Three: The Brotherhood — Ah Wah and Fly

Ah Wah and Fly's relationship is the other heart of the film. It's also the thing that makes the tragedy so inevitable.

Fly is an idiot. He's reckless. He's proud. He's desperate to be respected. And he keeps making terrible decisions.

At the beginning of the film, Fly gets beaten up by a rival gang. Ah Wah goes to rescue him. He fights off the gang. He carries Fly home. He bandages his wounds. He doesn't complain. He just does it.

This happens again. And again. And again. Fly keeps getting into trouble, and Ah Wah keeps bailing him out.

There's a scene where Fly is being chased by a group of thugs. He runs into a narrow alley. He's cornered. He's about to be killed. Ah Wah appears out of nowhere. He stands in front of Fly. He says nothing. He just stands there. And the thugs back off.

This is the moment you realize that Ah Wah is not just a friend. He's a protector. He's a father. He's the only person who believes in Fly.

But Fly can't see that. He thinks Ah Wah is holding him back. He thinks Ah Wah doesn't respect him. So he makes a choice. He volunteers for a suicide mission. He wants to be a hero. He wants to prove himself.

And Ah Wah, being who he is, can't let him go alone.

Part Four: The Tragedy — A Death That Means Nothing

The final scene of the film is a masterpiece of anti-climax.

Ah Wah tracks Fly down. He tries to stop him. Fly refuses. He tells Ah Wah to leave. Ah Wah doesn't leave. So Fly says something that cuts deep:

"You've had your glory. You've been a hero. I've never been anything. No one respects me. This is my only chance. Let me take it."

Ah Wah can't argue with that. He knows it's true. So he lets Fly go.

Fly carries out the hit. He kills the target. Then the police arrive. Fly is shot. He falls. Ah Wah, who has been watching, runs over. He picks up Fly's gun. He shoots the target again. He doesn't need to. The target is already dead. But he does it anyway. And then the police shoot him.

He falls next to Fly. They lie there, side by side. The camera pulls back. The scene is over.

This is not a heroic death. It's a stupid death. It's a pointless death. It's a death that could have been avoided.

But that's the point. This is not a film about heroes. It's a film about people who can't escape their fate. About people who are trapped in a system that doesn't care about them. About people who are born into a world that gives them no choices.

Part Five: The Meme — And Why It Matters

Now let's talk about the meme.

The "食屎啦你" scene is from the middle of the film. Fly is confronting Tony, a rival gangster who has been mocking him. Fly is drunk. He's angry. He's desperate. He tells Tony to eat shit.

It's a funny moment. It's a cathartic moment. It's a moment where the underdog finally stands up for himself. And it's become an internet classic.

But here's the thing: that scene is not the film. That scene is a tiny part of a much larger tragedy. Fly spends the rest of the film proving that he's not a joke — and ending up dead.

The meme has made people laugh. But it's also made people forget. It's made people think this is a comedy. It's made people think this is a film about a funny guy who says funny things.

It's not. It's a film about a guy who wants to be respected and ends up dead for his trouble.

Part Six: Why the Title — "As Tears Go By"

The English title of this film is As Tears Go By. It comes from a song by the Rolling Stones. It's a song about loss, about time passing, about things that can't be recovered.

It's a perfect title. Because this is a film about tears. About tears that are shed, and tears that are not shed. About tears that come from joy, and tears that come from pain.

The Chinese title, 旺角卡門, means "Mong Kok Carmen." It's a reference to the opera Carmen — a story about a woman who loves passionately and dies tragically. It's a warning. It's a promise. It's a way of telling you that this film is not going to end well.

And it doesn't.

Final Thoughts

As Tears Go By is not a perfect film. It's a first film. It's a director learning his craft. It's an actor figuring out his character. It's a producer trying to make a hit. It's all of these things at once.

But it's also a film that contains something real. Something raw. Something that you can't fake.

It's a film about being young. About being poor. About being stuck. About being in love with someone you can't have. About being loyal to someone who doesn't deserve it. About being a person in a world that doesn't care about you.

And it's a film about one of the most iconic moments in internet history — a moment that has made millions of people laugh, but also a moment that has made millions of people forget what this film is really about.

So if you've only seen the meme, do yourself a favor. Watch the film. Watch Ah Wah and Fly. Watch Ah Wah and Ngor. Watch the slow-motion fight scenes and the long takes of people looking at each other.

And when it's over, when the credits roll, you'll understand why this film is not a comedy. It's a tragedy. And it's one of the best tragedies ever made.

Have you seen As Tears Go By? What do you think — is Fly a hero or a fool? Let me know in the comments.

Tom De · The Movie Prince 🎬