 The film was also screened at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, during Directors' Fortnight.The Chinese title, 旺角卡門 (), means “Mong Kok Carmen”, which alludes to the area of Mong Kok and the opera "Carmen", revealing that it is a story of tragic love in Kowloon.The English title is shared with the 1964 English song “As Tears Go By”, and may have been inspired by it.