Loss in Translation: Hong Khaou's Lilting

They say love conquers all – but what if the trials are unuttered fears, unspoken resentments, a lack of intercultural understanding and a failure to accept the inevitable? Laurence Barber explores how these themes underpin Hong Khaou's stunning feature about a fragile partner and a frustrated mother brought together by the death of someone they both love.

Additional keywords: queer, same-sex, gay, LGBT, LGBTQIA, cross-cultural, interracial, migrant, grief, death, language, Ben Whishaw, Cheng Pei Pei, Andrew Leung.