SIFF Review - At The End of Daybreak

Literally in one second, this film went from very, very good - excellent, even - to very dumb.

Up to that point we were sitting there, thinking, “How will they wrap this up? No idea!”, waiting eagerly to see the way things would unfold. We were hooked, primed for the perfect payoff. The set-up: a secret love affair between Tuck Chai, 23, and Ying, not yet sixteen. Tuck Chai’s family, poor, Ying’s family, rich. Said payoff: terrible.

The film is cut together beautifully, with some totally original and sophisticated editing. Wonderful camera-work and acting. Slow, simmering build-up, an intimate glimpse into a foreign culture and the way so many lives can be changed by a single simple decision. Incredibly well done. But the last 20-30 minutes were awful, the momentum completely shattered. It’s like they ran out of money, or ideas. Or like a different scriptwriter came into finish the job. The character development? The back story? The opportunity? All completely wasted. Boooooo.

Friday, June 11 // 4:30 p.m. // Pacific Place Cinema // $11/$9 SIFF Members