Gwai muk

"The Monster" (aka "Gwai muk" or "Home Sweet Home") is not your average Hong Kong horror movie, and there is no woman in a white dress running around with her face covered by hair. And while it is labeled as horror, the movie is not really scary, whereas it is more disturbing and psychologically chilling.

The story is about a family moving into a new apartment, but there is something sinister lurking in the maze-like ventilation shafts of the apartment complex, and the young boy in the family becomes the center of unwanted attention. When he is abducted, the family bonds are pushed to the limits. And with a tragic past such as the one lurking in the ventilation shafts, it quickly becomes a race of life and death.

Story-wise, then "The Monster" is adequate, but nothing overly memorable. But what makes the movie great is the extraordinary performances put on by Shu Qi (playing the mother) and Karena Lam (playing 'the monster'). I am not overly familiar with the Work of Karena Lam, despite having watched Hong Kong movies for close to 25-30 years already. She really put on an amazing performance as a crazy woman.

There are no super spectacular CGI effects in the movie, but it doesn't need such to be interesting. The make-up on Karena Lam was quite good and served its purpose quite well.

If you haven't already seen Cheang Poi Soi's movie "The Monster", then you should take the time to do so.

I will say that the movie's DVD cover really doesn't do the movie any justice at all.

The low rating of the film is probably due to the fact that this was marketed as a horror film, and even has a "horror version" edited available on the DVD. What a mistake! - certain to disappoint horror film fans.

This is of course really a drama about the terrible loss of possibility that sometimes chance brings about by intervening with our commonplace experience with loved ones. These experiences we claim to cherish, but in reality we take them for granted, forgetting that we are all mortals and that all love risks coming to an end in the most horrifying - yet inevitable - way - with the death of those we love.

Filmed as something of a nightmare (without ever getting flashy), crisply directed, with some wonderful performances - probably the most mature performance I've seen from Qi Shu.

Excellent drama - but not a horror film. If you want your heart wrenched, this does a good job of it, If you want to be scared, looked elsewhere.

NOTE, 2009: It took me a year (and 11 months after the death of my own mother) to get up the gumption to see this film again, it is that strong. Now it has entered my top-20 list of best films of all time. These images will haunt you for all time. And if you've ever wondered why you should pay respect to the woman who gave you birth, see this film. It's like saying you don't like mom, and having Gloria Steinem slam a fist in your jaw for saying so - and that's not bad. A feminist "Phantom of the Opera;" one of the strongest scripts to be written in China over the past 30 years, perhaps the strongest drama to come out of China in its decade. Powerful. Not a thriller, sorry, just a strong script and strong performances all around.