On Trial (1981) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A family-centered story traces youthful ambitions, hardship, strained bonds, and an unresolved desire to pursue music abroad.

Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases

A Household in Motion

The family prepares the boys for school, revealing their contrasting interests and temperaments. One son seeks support for studying in Canada, while his father urges a practical course of study.

Key Events

• School Morning Preparations — The family prepares the boys for their first day of school amid warmth, teasing, and arguments. Characters: Jiabao's Father Location: Family home
• Violin Practice Takes Priority — One boy neglects breakfast because he is absorbed in practising the violin. Location: Family home
• Plans for Canada — A son asks his father to support his studies in Canada and imagines a prosperous future. Characters: Jiabao's Father Location: Family home
• Advice on a Practical Major — The father agrees to support his son's plans but advises him not to rely on music alone. Characters: Jiabao's Father Location: Family home

Trouble Among Peers

A betting game turns grim when the favored white contestant dies after being poisoned. The group scatters, while grief and disagreements also weigh on family life.

Key Events

• A Betting Game Turns Ugly — A betting game ends badly when the favored white contestant dies after being poisoned. Location: School and peer gathering
• The Group Scatters — The group scatters when an adult approaches after the poisoned contestant is found. Location: Peer gathering
• Family Grief and Disagreement — Grief and conflict affect the household, where the boys' attachment to pets makes incidents emotionally charged. Characters: Jiabao's Father Location: Family home

Wing's Hidden Hardship

A boy's suspicion about his father leads him to investigate. Wing reacts with shame and anger, then describes his father's absence, unstable living arrangements, and work as a toilet attendant.

Key Events

• Suspicion of a Father's Lie — The quieter boy suspects his father has lied and leaves to investigate. Characters: Jiabao's Father Location: Family home
• Wing Confronted by His Friend — Wing reacts with anger and shame when his circumstances are brought up. Characters: Wing Location: Unspecified
• Wing Reveals His Hardship — Wing says his father has long been gone, that he stays in someone else's home, and that he works as a toilet attendant. Characters: Wing Location: Unspecified
• Wing Ends the Meeting — Feeling inferior, Wing tells his friend to leave and says they should not meet again unless he becomes rich. Characters: Wing Location: Unspecified

An Unsettled Future

The boys take summer jobs as family tensions continue. Wing lives in a car and sings about missing his parents, then resists an appeal to return home and questions whether his family would support his musical ambitions abroad.

Key Events

• Summer Jobs Begin — The boys take summer jobs as tensions over family responsibilities continue. Characters: Wing Location: Unspecified
• Wing Lives in a Car — Wing is shown living in a car and singing about missing his parents. Characters: Wing Location: Car
• A Plea to Return Home — Wing is urged to go home because his family misses him, but he says he is happy. Characters: Wing Location: Unspecified
• Music Studies Remain Unresolved — Wing questions whether his family could support his dream of studying music abroad; the excerpt ends without an answer. Characters: Wing Location: Unspecified

Story Breakdown

• School Morning — The household's preparations introduce the boys' differing personalities and interests.
  • Breakfast and Uniforms — The family rushes to prepare for the first school day.
  • Violin Practice — One boy is more absorbed in practising than eating.
• A Future Abroad — A son imagines studying in Canada and discusses his plans with his father.
  • Canada Plans — He asks for support and imagines the life he might have abroad.
  • Practical Advice — His father agrees but advises him to choose a practical major.
• Peer Trouble — A betting game among peers becomes disturbing and ends in a sudden dispersal.
  • Animal Betting — The group places bets involving animals.
  • Poisoned Contestant — The favored white contestant dies after being poisoned, and the group scatters as an adult approaches.
• Family Strain — Grief and disagreement at home make the boys' attachments and family tensions more pronounced.
  • Pet-Related Grief — The boys' attachment to pets makes household incidents emotionally charged.
  • Growing Responsibilities — Family responsibilities and the sister's choices add to tensions.
• Wing's Disclosure — A confrontation exposes Wing's hardship and his sense of inferiority.
  • Suspicion and Search — A quieter boy suspects his father has lied and leaves to investigate.
  • Hardship Revealed — Wing describes his absent father, his living situation, and his work as a toilet attendant.
  • Parting Ultimatum — Wing tells his friend to leave and says they should meet again only if he becomes rich.
• Summer Hardship — Summer work and Wing's precarious circumstances deepen the story's focus on family and aspiration.
  • Summer Jobs — The boys take jobs while tensions over family responsibilities continue.
  • Life in a Car — Wing lives in a car and sings about missing his parents.
• Unresolved Return — The excerpt closes with Wing resisting a return home and questioning whether his musical ambitions will be supported.
  • Family's Appeal — Wing is urged to go home because his family misses him.
  • Music Abroad — Wing asks whether his family could support his dream of studying music abroad, with no answer shown.

Directed by

Clarence Ford

Key Cast

• Danny Chan Bak-Keung — Kong Jiabao
• Leslie Cheung — Wing
• Paul Chung Biu-Law — Paul
• Mabel Kwong Mei-Bo — Mei-Bo
• Wong Hoi-Yan — Teacher