When Mom counting to three means trouble

A familiar childhood command takes on new significance in a film about grief and the ties between parents and children.

‘I’ll count to three — one, two …”

“Okay, Mom.”

For most people, those words belong to childhood: a familiar warning from a mother, followed by the instinctive response of a child who knows exactly what comes next.

For Hong Kong actress Kara Wai, 66, and singer-actor Lars Huang, 27, the phrase carries a resonance that bridges generations. In their new film Keep the Beat, the two play a mother and son bound by this small but instantly recognizable command — a childhood memory they both know well.