July 12, 2022
Two Chinese-language films have debuted on Netflix this month, both about a 6 year-old girl who needed special care and their loved one who went against all odds to provide it.
"Nice View" has earned a whopping US$211M since its Chinese New Year release last February, is now among the biggest box-office hits of 2022 worldwide. "Incantation" has earned a more modest US$5.7M since its release in March, but this was enough to make it the highest grossing film in Taiwan so far this year.
*****
Country: China
Director: Wen Muye
When their mother passed away, 20-year-old Jing Hao swore that he would take care of his young sister. Tongtong (Chen Halin) had congenital heart disease, and for the past six years, her doctor had been advising Jing Hao that she needed to have corrective surgery done before she reached eight years old, or else her condition will be more difficult for her.
However, between his cellphone repair shop and various other odd jobs, Jing Hao simply could not earn the needed money. He needed to think outside the box, gambling on crazy ideas that no one had tried before. He relied on his meticulous technical skill, never say die attitude and good relations with his neighbors to make his bold plan materialize.
Lead actor Jackson Yee is a multimedia superstar in Taiwan. His first big international movie break happened in 2019 when his film "Better Days" was nominated for an Oscar award. This year, he starred in two of the biggest box-office hits in China, "The Battle at Lake Changjin II" (currently #5 in the worldwide list) and "Nice View". Yee's portrayal of Jing Hao is sincere and earnest, inspirational to watch without being melodramatic. 8/10.
*****
Country: Taiwan
Director: Kevin Ko
Ronan (Tsai Hsuan-yen) had spent time recovering in a mental institution and was now ready to be reunited with her daughter Dodo (Huang Sin-ting), who had been raised in a foster house run by Ming (Kao Ying-hsuan). However, when Dodo was with Ronan, she began to act bizarrely and "see" invisible entities called "baddies".
Ronan realized that these paranormal phenomena were related to events six years ago. She tagged along with her boyfriend Dom (Sean Lin) and his cousin Yuan (RQ) when the two returned to their village for some mystic family rituals. They began filming the proceedings for their YouTube channel, thus violating religious taboos.
Director Kevin Ko used the "found footage" style (mainly home videos and security cameras) to tell his unsettling story, going back and forth in time. The involvement of a cute child in mortal danger makes things more stressful. Ronan breaking the fourth wall to involve her audience to join her to chant "Hou-ho-xiu-yi, si-sei-wu-ma" added more creeps. The cursed video taken within cursed tomb made for a grand finale. 7/10.
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