Been wanting to catch this film for a while ever since I knew of it some months ago. By luck, I finally managed to catch the tv premiere on the Hallmark Channel tonight. And boy was I glad I caught it.

I watched this movie just expecting to see impressive shots and artistic cinematography. But it delivered that and beyond. The storyline enabled a rich opportunity for character development, and I absolutely loved loved loooved Makoto Iwamatsu in his role. He brought out the complexities of his character in such a heart-wrenchingly real manner, every crease and fold on his face seemed to reveal yet a deeper dimension to him in the show. And of course it also helps that he is one charming old man. ;) He gets many many thumbs-ups from me!

I was pretty satisfied with the film on the whole. Loved the beautiful shots that were scattered along the way like golden coins luring you on for more (everytime I get lost in the storyline and a beautiful shot comes up I literally take in a short sharp breath), the international cast delivered tasteful acting, the storyline and music flowed nicely with the pace, aiyah basically I just liked it la. I can't think of what more to say cos I'm just not gifted in writing reviews and the above words came out resistantly like spurts of toothpaste. (hurhurhur)

My only suggestion for improvement would be to extend the ending cos it seemed a little abrupt for me. I would have been happier to see a more definitive closure. But the film left me so saturated with plenty of things to think about and that's really what matters.

For reading through my less-than-appealing review, here's the (extended) trailer.

Check out the movie here. I think it might still be showing in cinemas, so hurry if you want to watch it!