There Is a Secret In My Soup

Author: Yeung Chi-Kin

The 2001 Hong Kong Category III film “There Is a Secret in My Soup” (directed by Yeung Chi-Kin) is a crime thriller based on the horrific 1999 “Hello Kitty Murder” case. It stars Cherry Chan as Maggie, a young woman who endures brutal torture and abuse at the hands of triad gangsters.Director: Yeung Chi-Kin (also known as Yeung Chi Gin).Plot: After being kidnapped and killed by the gangsters, the victim’s body is dismembered and cooked. The movie shares a structure and basic plot with another film released simultaneously, Human Pork Chop, both adapting the same true-crime event.

Cast: Features Michael Wong, Hugo Ng, Angela Tong, and Gabriel Harrison

Plot Structure : The film relies heavily on a framing device. It opens directly at the gruesome crime scene before transitioning to a police station. A senior police officer, played by Michael Wong, interrogates the suspects and witnesses. The narrative then unfolds through a series of dark flashbacks that reveal the details of the crime: The Descent: The main character, Maggie Chan (Cherry Chan), flees from an abusive husband and moves in with her friend, Pat (Angela Tong). Pat’s husband, Rocky (Hugo Ng), is a ruthless pimp who quickly forces Maggie into prostitution.

The Conflict: Battling a severe addiction to drugs and gambling, Maggie steals cash and a luxury lighter from Rocky to pay for her sickly grandmother’s care. Rocky demands HK$20,000 in return. When she tries to run away again, Rocky and a psychotic debt collector named Joe (Gabriel Harrison) kidnap her.The Captivity: Maggie is held captive in an apartment for a full month. Rocky, Joe, and their associate Fei subject her to extreme, sadistic torture until she finally succumbs to her injuries.The Cover-Up: To hide the evidence, the gangsters dismember her body, cook parts of it, and stuff her skull inside the head of a giant, plush Hello Kitty doll.
Production Style
As a Category III film (the Hong Kong equivalent of an NC-17 or R rating), director Yeung Chi-Kin shot the movie with an unflinching focus on the depths of human depravity. It relies on gritty, handheld cinematography to capture the claustrophobic feeling of the apartment where the victim was held captive.Comparison to “Human Pork Chop”The movie was produced and released almost simultaneously with another exploitation film called “Human Pork Chop” (Ren tou za sui fan). While Human Pork Chop leans more toward police procedural elements, There Is a Secret in My Soup focuses heavily on the psychological terror, Maggie’s background, and the intense interrogation scenes with Michael Wong’s character

The 2001 film “There Is a Secret in My Soup” (original Cantonese title: Ren tou dou fu tang) is a notorious Hong Kong Category III true-crime thriller. It has a running time of 85 minutes and is heavily stylized around the real-life 1999 Hello Kitty Murder.