Zai sheng hao (2009)

Zai sheng hao: Directed by Ka-Fai Wai. With Ching Wan Lau, Kelly Lin, Mia Yam, Ying-Kit Chung. A lawyer who is killed in a car accident finds himself resurrected as a character in his daughter’s novel.

“Iu0026#39;ve seen this movie at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal 2010, and boy did it caught me off guard. Iu0026#39;m usually a stoic person but this movie hit me in the bulls-eye of my emotions a few times, which is quite a feat in itself but more so while in a movie theater. The fact that, four years later, it sprung back to my mind, made me seek out a copy and then write a review should be a testament of itu0026#39;s potential for staying power.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI will keep this short since I may just repeat what HKNeo has written in his review. Also, I donu0026#39;t have an extensive knowledge of Honk Kong cinematography and thus cannot delve into talking about the people involved in making this movie and make comparisons to their other works.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe movie is pretty much about copping with losses.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA father, mother, daughter and son are involved in a car accident. The father dies and the daughter is blinded. Years later, the mother still being tormented and inconsolable over the tragedy, the daughter begins to write a novel to help her mother, foremost, as well as herself and her brother. In the novel, the tragedy is reversed: the father lives, but his blinded, while the rest of the family died. However, the father being inconsolable, himself begins to write a novel… As the movie progresses, lines are blurred between reality and the fiction of the daughteru0026#39;s novel.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eUnless youu0026#39;re a completely jaded viewer with a brick-for-a-heart and eat puppies for lunch, this movie will definitely tug at your heartstrings.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;m not sure why the ratings are rather poor (or lukewarm) — perhaps certain viewers were expecting a pure fantasy movie with no emotional resonance (other than u0026quot;wowsu0026quot; and laughs), similarly to how some expected the same from Panu0026#39;s Labyrinth (though that movie got the ratings and exposure it deserved).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJust like a backpack trip, a particularly exotic meal, a daring complex musical composition, or an emotionally engaging video game (looking at you The Last of Us); this movie may not be for everyone, but it is certainly worth it if it means a chance to feel an engrossing meaningful experience that will stay with you.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e8.6/10”