I found this ambivalent film most annoying. If I were from Hong Kong, would I have gotten any more messages than I did as a foreigner? The first blow to this film is that the director and screenwriter do not know how to translate some serialized web stories into a coherent film. Without a coherent story and theme, no believability is established. Disbelief is not suspended, and exposed throughout. If a message is to be delivered, they have lost their audience right after the first 30 minutes. The audience simply gives up caring. Characters, supposed to be rich and various, do not matter to them, even with so many background stories laid down. The second blow is a real bad mix of suspense and humour. I feel like watching an unstable storyteller who can't keep his or her pace. One minute there is a hope, then another minute, dashed. The third point is an absolutely unnecessary length of over two hours. Too long of a half-cooked film turns the audience against it. Dialogue and sub-stories should have been made concise, and helped the flow of the storytelling. I have a feeling that director Fruit Chan must have written or re-written the script as he went along. Otherwise it would not look like a film made by a drunk. Hong Kong films are usually with certain standards. Their low-graded films are usually not so low. But this film by Fruit Chan is a few notches lower than the usual. Not recommended.
Review of The Midnight After
