Reviews

From film festivals to new releases, find the latest reviews from contemporary East and Southeast Asian cinema here, written by the Filmed in Ether team.

Taiwan Film Festival 2020: The Good Daughter

Levin TanJuly 13, 2020

Wu Yuying's directorial debut The Good Daughter is an intimate look at the life of Azhe, a Vietnamese woman living between two worlds and two roles....

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Taiwan Film Festival 2020 Review: Detention

Brooke HeinzJuly 10, 2020

Despite its glaring issues, John Hsu's horror blockbuster Detention is the rare video game-to-movie adaptation that works....

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Review: The Wandering Chef

Hayley InchApril 21, 2020

Park Hye-ryoung's documentary The Wandering Chef is a deeply fascinating look at chef Im Jiho and the role food plays in processing emotions. ...

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Review: Diner

Brooke HeinzMarch 22, 2020

Mika Ninagawa's opulent visuals aren't enough to save her manga adaptation, Diner, from its thin plot and poor action direction. ...

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Review: Maggie

Claire LanglaisNovember 12, 2019

Yi Ok-seop's debut feature Maggie will endear itself to today's youth with its winning cast and topical issues. ...

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TIFF 2019 Review: Bring Me Home

Aidan DjabarovOctober 16, 2019

Lee Young-ae makes her return to acting in Kim Seung-woo’s debut film 'Bring Me Home', a bleak picture that horrifically exploits the suffering of women....

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KOFFIA 2019 Review: Innocent Witness

Aidan DjabarovSeptember 2, 2019

A committed turn from actress Kim Hyang-gi can't save pedestrian filmmaking in Lee Han's courtroom drama Innocent Witness....

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Review: Nina Wu

Brooke HeinzAugust 10, 2019

Midi Z's timely contribution to the #MeToo movement, Nina Wu, is anchored by a powerful performance from actress and co-writer Wu Ke-xi....

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Review: Clean Up

Brooke HeinzJuly 18, 2019

Kwon Man-ki's impressive debut feature Clean Up is a crime drama that grapples with complex themes of morality and guilt....

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Review: One Child Nation

Brooke HeinzJuly 2, 2019

With One Child Nation, co-directors Jialing Zhang and Nanfu Wang have crafted an incredible documentary that closely examines China's one child policy....

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Review: Parasite

Brooke HeinzJune 29, 2019

Bong Joon-ho's award-winning film Parasite is a welcome return to South Korean filmmaking for the director and is one of his absolute best works to date....

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SFF 2019 Review: Jesus

Levin TanJune 19, 2019

Okuyama Hiroshi's debut feature 'Jesus' deals with weighty religious themes from the perspective of a schoolboy grappling with the concept of faith....

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