Hi,
this is an eg of a movie review I wrote:
When I looked at myself in the toilet mirror after the movie, I had a rude shock.
I had the same glazed look as one of the characters in the movie.
Koma is a psychological thriller about two characters that lead parallel lives.
Ching (Lee Sinje of “The Eye”) dressed to the nines and her carefully-made up face betrays an inferiority complex. Afflicted by renal failure, her physical condition spills over to affect her mental being such that she feels her body not worthy of being caressed by her boyfriend.
Ling (Karena Lam of “Inner Senses”) takes care of her comatose mother. Emotionally wrecked by anguish that her mother might never wake up, Ling sought to feed her loneliness by having an affair with Ching’s beau.
A riveting performance by the two leads draws you into their worlds.
Karena Lam cuts a vulnerable figure with her glazed look. Her haircut, long and wispy coupled with bangs adds an extra edge. Those woeful eyes are used to great effect especially so when tiny traces of suppressed insanity reflects in the pupils now and then. Her eyes like large saucers that could tell you many poignant tales of life bore through you.
Lee Sinje’s skilful acting of a helpless little lamb, dependent on her beau as a pillar of strength plays upon your sympathy, almost, just almost feeling sorry for her. Her feelings of inadequacy is showcased perfectly through emotional outbursts. Saved from being melodramatic, they actually help to gain insight into her far-from-normal life.
Against this backdrop is the case of a kidney theft which proves to be the underlying link between Ling and Ching.
The mood of the film is disturbing. The script pushes the envelope by questioning the line between sanity and insanity. Also, it mocks at our preconceived notions of the mental makeup of a normal human being.
There are several flinching moments in the movie. All serves to have a dramatic effect. One in particular where Ling stabs Ching’s beau in the eye. On the surface it may seem like senseless killing but it is Ling’s way of release from the humiliation she has endured at his hands.
As the plot progresses, the acting gets more intense so much so I feel that I am participating in the game of tease between Ling and Ching in the finale.
The darkness of the film finally weighs me down. The portrayals get too real and the pain too raw.
Which explains my then glazed look in the mirror.