This is a slow and deliberately paced film that relies on the performances to carry it through and Li offers a touchingly subdued performance that captures a range of emotions and is likely the best acting the star has offered to date.
It is not a perfect movie by any stretch. At times, I felt it was a touch melodramatic, and I suspect there are cultural differences in how I perceive it. Still, it is hard to dislike this movie, as it is so touching and genuine. It looks at a believable situation through the eyes of everyday characters.
Audio/Video. The movie is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and generally looks pretty good. While it looks good, generally speaking, it is far from the best looking Blu-ray. The movie feels as if it went through a good deal of filtering and smoothing. The image seems rather natural but is pretty soft throughout and all the colors tend towards the bluer end of the spectrum. Detail is there but it it never strikes me as being all that sharp and images tend to get lost in the darker sequences.
Audio comes in the form of a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and performs solidly. This is not a demo track as this is a quiet, dialogue driven movie. The surrounds are used during a couple of sequences, including the opening rowboat scene, and does a nice job of filing the soundfield, but this is still an intimate dialogue driven affair and it handles that quite well.
Extras. There is not much in the way of extra material. There is an 11-minute "making of" filled with clips of the film along with some interview footage and a pair of trailers. That's all there is!
Bottomline. What can I say other than this is a sweet movie. It injects a certain melodrama into the drama and works hard to show the relationship experience of a father and autistic child. It does not shy from the difficulties and puts the necessary patience on display. Let also say that I wonder about th opening scene and if we should accept all that we see or don't see, that would put an interesting spin on the proceedings. I will let you see it and see if you see what I am speaking of.
Recommended.
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