The Garden of Evening Mists

"The catch is, not enough scenery of crisp verdure, or an artificial brook of dainty Japanese lanterns, nor a doughty, noble, deeply-felt performance from Lee Sinje, can save this plodding vehicle from swanning along to its finish line, and Lin's partisan leanings gets blatantly offensive in his outrageous depiction of the acquisitive and savage Malayan communist rebels. Also Yun Ling's over-intimate relationships with both British colony, and Aritomo, the man might or might not be a Japanese spy, from a country that wantonly brings inexpressible suffering and bereavement to her, are problematic, to say the least. As an intimate, personal story, THE GARDEN... is poetic, touching, if overwrought in its final application, but if one tries to obtain a critical take on Malaya's WWII turbulence and its colonial days, the outcome is cripplingly jaundiced and romanticized."

read the full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks