Zero to Hero is one of those movies that will leave you in awe. It’s an inspiring, emotional, and thought-provoking biopic tribute to So Wa Wai, Hong Kong’s first Paralympic athlete who won a gold medal.
Living up to its title, Zero to Hero is about So Wai Wai’s life-changing journey. Surely, the journey is one hell of a ride. From dealing with her son becoming the subject of bullies to how he is excluded by society, that doesn’t stop So Wa Wai’s mother from eagerly supporting her son and realizing his potential as an athlete despite all the boundaries that lay ahead.
After gaining popularity and success from winning several races in the Paralympics, Wa Wai struggles to maintain his career due to financial difficulties. This highlights issues on how unequal the system has been in providing support for and serving the rights of Paralympians. The situation also resulted in Ki Wai, Wa Wai’s brother, selling his medals.
But things get pretty messy after his mother finds out. Ki Wai is pulling the trigger of how unequal his mother has been treating them. Wa Wai can’t stand to witness his family suffering to support his career as a Paralympian so he decides to withdraw from the next race instead.
To support his family’s financial situation, Wa Wai does several part-time jobs. Of course, none of it works out in the end since all he wants is to race. Meanwhile, his mother is working hard juggling four jobs and contacting several people to find her son a sponsorship in order to race again.
During Wa Wai’s absences from advertisement shoot, that’s when the final triggers lies. His furious mother intentionally spoiled Wa Wai’s feelings for the girl he likes. Thank God, we don’t go to the cliche romance formula, but a more realistic ones which gives more justice to Wa Wai’s journey.
He got his heart broken after hearing his crush reject him by stating that he is not the man of her dreams. That’s where the truth comes out after being burried all of this time. Wa Wai finally lets everything out. He is fed up being treated as an handicapped person. But the momentum also brings their issues to light.
The mother and son finally share their genuine feelings: the mother of a handicapped man that has been blamed for everything and the son who feels like everything is handed over to him due to his condition. But this condition finally pushes them to realize what’s the most important thing.
“Running in tracks are simple. You will only need to go forward, but it’s different in life.” This dialogue from Coach Fong is the answer to what Wa Wai truly needs to become the historical athlete he is. It’s not about the money or advertisement that makes him run faster and promises him to become a sustainable athlete. It’s his mother’s support and love from zero to hero.
Wa Wai loses two races after losing his self-esteem and his mother’s presence. But he breaks his record after gaining his values and worth again through the words and presence of his mother alongside everyone who sees his value. Most of the time, we are blinded by ambition and forget about the person with the ambition.
That’s probably Why Wa Wai opened his hearing aid during the final race. It’s symbolic of how he does not need to listen to the thousand people cheering for him or the steps of his rivals. Because the truest symphony he needs to hear is the never-ending love orchestra from his mother that guides him from zero to hero.
“Eyes on mother, set, go!” these magic words are what keeps him running.
