I picked this movie up because the cover and synopsis suggest a scary movie and I have great respect for Asian horror films. Having seen it I have to say that this is only horror in the sense that it is horrible to be dying of cancer and it must also be horrible to be in love with somebody who is dying of cancer. The movie brings this across reasonably well. There were a number of scenes that made me feel for the characters, especially once the acting got better after the first third or so - as if actors had to settle into their roles (except for the little sister who is just awful all the way through). The central theme seems to be the love and responsibility the main character feels for his ill girlfriend on one side and on the other side the temptation to go after somebody else and get away from it all. This may be a bit generic but could make for a legitimate drama about a relationship triangle. But then, once in a while, the movie chucks an eerie scene or a cheap jump scare at you as if to make sure everyone is still awake. Sadly, these do not go anywhere and after each one the movie just goes back to being a relationship drama as if nothing had happened. The ending then comes as something fairly predictable. So I suppose what I was missing is a consistent theme or indeed any kind of story arch. After reading the English and Portuguese titles here, the Chinese one ("Cuo Ai": "Wrong Love") still captures best what the film is about. Most posters and the foreign titles, however, feature some sort of eerie imagery, a tone which is not reflected in the actual film. This left me pretty disappointed because it feels like false advertising. Finally, I was very surprised to find out this was directed by Danny Pang who brought us The Eye (the excellent Chinese movie, of course). Unfortunately, this movie doesn't even come close.
Review of Chung oi
