The Lyricist Wannabe 填詞L (2024) Review: Norris Wong’s Sophomore Feature is a Well-Acted Dramedy About Chasing a Dream

Can one make a living in a niche industry, which in this case, becoming a lyricist? Renowned lyricists like the late James Wong Jim, Wyman Wong and (Calvin) Poon Yuen-Leung have made their names writing Cantopop. But the path to fame is a long and winding road that may or may not see the desired result. That’s the challenge Law Wing Sze (Chung Suet-Ying) is facing as the titular lyricist, which also marks Norris Wong’s sophomore feature after her acclaimed romance drama My Prince Edward five years ago.

In The Lyricist Wannabe, Law is a high school student who’s been dreaming of becoming a successful lyricist one day. She and her best friend, Chick (Sabrina Ng) share the same passion. They finally have their chance to show off their talents during their high school’s talent show but things do not go as planned. After finishing her A-Levels, we see Law remains persistent in chasing her lifelong dream. She enrolled in a writing course to hone her skills under the guidance of a teacher played by Chu Pak-Hong. At one point, he doesn’t mince words when comes to the harsh reality of anyone who wants to become a lyricist.

Law Wing Sze, no one makes a living as a lyricist.

Throughout the movie, Law’s never-give-up attitude continues as she sends emails to music composers, one of which includes Chris Lee (Tony Wu) agrees to collaborate with her. The Lyricist Wannabe explores the trials and tribulations of one’s journey and even if you are not familiar with the subject of lyricists, Norris Wong — who’s a lyricist herself — manages to make it accessible with the universally relatable themes of perseverance. Her direction is more refined while manages to balance the movie’s wholesome feel-good factor through animation scenes reflecting Law’s inner creativity and matter-of-fact realities surrounding the profession of being a lyricist.

Wong also deserves equal mention for streamlining the rarely-explored subject matter in Hong Kong cinema, dissecting the process of putting together the right words, rhymes and meanings for the whole lyrics. Like whether the lyrics would sound organic or forceful to suit a certain song genre. Of course, it would be a bonus for those who know the nooks and crannies of a lyricist’s job.

Then, there’s Chung Suet-Ying, who does an excellent job playing the struggling lyricist trying to make a breakthrough, only to be constantly hindered by various setbacks after setbacks. Her role even landed a well-deserved Best Actress nomination at the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards earlier this year, even though she lost to Jennifer Yu for In Broad Daylight. It’s hard not to root for her journey as we see how young hopefuls like her face the music that working as a lyricist is not all sunshine and rainbows. We also witness how she suffers from rejections, conflicts and bad luck along with her rookie mistakes and naivety when dealing with people in the industry.

The movie goes as far as possessing talent, determination and hard work alone does not necessarily equate to success. In the hands of a lesser director, this can easily slip into an overly melodramatic route but Wong’s assured direction maintains a steady grip throughout the movie. Not to mention Chung’s immensely likeable persona that she brings out successfully to her character.

The Lyricist Wannabe also benefits from a solid supporting cast all around including Chu Pak-Hong’s role as a lyric-writing teacher as well as Eric Kot and Luna Shaw playing Law’s parents. The movie even features several cameos from who’s who of both Hong Kong’s Cantopop and showbiz.

Writer-director Norris Wong proves that she’s no fluke after My Prince Edward and The Lyricist Wannabe is no doubt one of the best Hong Kong movies I’ve ever seen this year.