Review: 海墘新路 - you mean nothing to me

I first heard 感謝妳 by 趙傳. Did not know it was the soundtrack to a Malaysian movie. Anyway, check out his hokkien song at this MV.

Because of this beautifully crafted song, I kept a look out for this movie and was thrilled to learn it was going to be shown on local screens. My best friend in USA, Dame Odna, also mentioned this movie to me in our chats. If chatter has gone so far, must be good right? My expectations for the movie, 海墘新路 (You Mean the World to Me) was thus super high. The MV painted such a promising picture of what the film will be. Plus Christopher Doyle's involvement means this is a must watch. 

Alas, the film fell short. And I mean really short. Maybe it was the fact that the Singapore cinema is not allowed to show dialects or the director wanted to reach a wider audience to be shown in mandarin, I don't know. But the chinese dubbing was so unnatural it made the film awkward. The cast was top notch, but the story was patchy, and one dimensionally focused on a pain which is hardly relatable to the audience. Nuanced explanations and cliches flood this film. Too Much! Plus there were some missing pieces which did not gel (e.g. one of the aunties was supposed to migrate to Australia, but there was no explanation of what happened after that made her stay back in Penang?). Over indulgent? Maybe. Something so personal should never see the light of day, because it is just too...well, personal.

Penang was beautifully captured. But there was nothing engaging in the show to make us root for the cast.  Sadly, I am not touched. I cry only because it is bad.

Rating: 1 out of 5 Tears...boo-hoo...

#drama #asian