Cheung directed Midnight Fly for Filmko, returning to the theme of friendship and intimacy between women after Intimates (1997). Influenced by Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) and Casablanca (1942), he filmed on location in France and Morocco, creating a compelling drama mixed with elements of suspense and exotica. At the heart of the film is a complex relationship between two women characterized by mutual appreciation while at the same time fraught with contradictions.

The marriage between Michele (Anita Mui) and her husband Dr Tong (Simon Yam) is on the brink of falling apart. Michele goes on a solo vacation to France to clear her mind. Along the way, she meets Miki (Risa Junna), who is in fact Dr Tong’s mistress. The two women become friends, travelling together and pouring their hearts out to each other. However, Miki is kidnapped by human traffickers. Michele insists on a drawn-out journey of searching for Miki. With the help of local tour guide Mike (Shaun Tam), she finally discovers Miki’s whereabouts.

Cheung takes his time building up the two women’s relationship, sharing their stories of love, marriage, pregnancy, and stillbirth, capturing their discontent, contradictions, and shifting roles as romantic rivals and friends—all in painstaking detail. Cinematographer Wong Ping-hung employed high-contrast lighting schemes, silhouettes, and shadows to reflect the darker and unknowable side of humanity. Cheung’s final work before moving to Chinese Mainland, the film features Anita Mui’s excellent and deeply melancholic portrayal of Michele, whose sense of loneliness is reinforced by Shigeru Umabayashi’s haunting score. Mui earned nominations for Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Horse Awards.

Courtesy of Filmko Pictures (Hong Kong) Co., Limited

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