Poor start. A girl, 15 years ago, follows a man from a pier to a bus stop. He tells her she will see her parents again once he gets paid. The girl nods. Apparently this (being kidnapped) is ordinary. A man is moving rather forcibly through the waiting crowd. Then he's beheaded. The girl looks at the head beneath the bus. Apparently that (massive mutilation of a living human being) is ordinary too. She stares at it for seconds with no affect.In the present we start in a rave. Minus points for that. Conversation in a rave. Sure, nothing but bellowing or screaming. June meets Peter, and uses Peter to get away from some other young man. They go here and there, and end up at his place. Peter looks like he needs a shower, a shampoo, and directions on using a comb. June could use a flamethrower to get all the layers of badly applied cosmetics crap off her face.The lead characters seem repellent and useless. Peter asks her why she was in such a hurry to leave every place they went to.Ah, the movie starts. Well, no it doesn't. It seemed she was about to speak some truth, but she did not.June is a useless self-centered pest. She and Peter have at each other, then she leaves in the morning after emptying his wallet.Peter's Dad shows up the next morning, claiming to be possessed by a ghost. They take him to the hospital. The children assemble and bond over bad times; they trade veiled insults. Nice. Peter's about to leave but his father needs more talking. Peter thinks he sees June as he leaves but perhaps not.Peter gets fired from his job. He goes to a beach marshmallow roast with ghost stories. He meets June again on this trip. The reputed ghost shows up in the body of a friend of June's. Peter sees some ghost lore in June, and starts to wonder. The next day she confides that she can see ghosts with her left eye, and there is always one following Peter.After that, they spend a lot of time together; Peter eventually gives her a ring he had hoped to give a previous girl friend who left him. Peter has trouble finding a new job.Peter has a dream of his father visiting him at midnight; the next morning the hospital calls to tell him that his father hung himself. His relative tells him that June was with his dad, sharing a long stare, the night before he died. Sigh.Peter tries to find out more about June, and encounters some strange experiences. Also, he digs up the newspaper story about the beheaded man, and sees a little girl there with the same distinctive birthmark as June. The description of the beheaded man ties up some threads for Peter.Peter tries to get a job with good prospects. June tries to involve him in some ghostly business. He tells her to go. He wakes to find his apartment painted in red, and he tries to get clear of all this for his job interview. At his friend Simon's place, the red paint shows up again. After he talks with Simon, he tries to connect with June, but she's hard to find.After resolving the problem that the headless man was obsessed with, he is released.Peter and June visit his dad's grave. Then Peter is drawn to a woman at another grave site, which turns out to be June's. As opposed to the Sixth Sense, the ending was a huge let down.------Scores------Cinematography: 8/10 OK, even with challenging lighting situations.Sound: 5/10 Both relentless and boring. I was ready to quit before the opening credits were over. One needs to be near the volume controls at all times to save your ears (too loud by far) or catch any words of the conversation.Acting: 7/10 OK for the story. I liked the supporting cast, but the two leads were obnoxious.Screenplay: 5/10 After 75 minutes, I wished I had never started this mess. When I was done, I had the same feeling. If June is a ghost, why did everyone see her? If Peter is the psychic, why can he only see June?

The unemployed Peter encounters the shadily unusual June when clubbing one night, and straight away the two fall for each other. However since June has entered Peter's life, things has turned out rather strange and she reveals to him in a erratic manner that she can see spirits with left eye. Through her, he learns that a headless loan shark ghost that was killed in a traffic accident, is possessing citizens of Hong Kong seeking revenge on those people and their families that he thinks is linked to his death.More so a touching drama with supernatural elements, blossoming romance and oddball hilarity is how to describe this handsomely haunting, but evocative treat for the senses. Even with its familiar premise idea (think of "The Eye" and "The Sixth Sense"), this Hong Kong feature turns in one curiously textured screenplay, which is intelligently crafted to get you intrigued, where everything finally falls into place after pulling you into many different directions and possibilities. The central point of Kwang Abe's story is one of those character finding themselves devices, which is learning to first respect who they are and throw in some meaningful character relationship building. There's a twist or two in there. While, the twists might be predictable, but elaborately effective nonetheless. However at times it does feel episodic and leisurely ticks along, before letting the mystery really fold out. Also it might feel a little too long when coming to its long-winded, if underwhelming resolution. The morbidly quirky humour and visual gags worked in, feel right at home to the material, characters and situations. What it has going for it, is its moody direction and atmospheric locations with sublime shadings, lighting and detail. Director Ann Hui paints many surreal images which float between slightly grisly to beautifully melancholy. The eloquently inventive framing from Arthur Wong's crisply dusky cinematography sets the dreamy tone and a creepy ambiance settles into Tommy Wai Kai-Leung's stirringly unhinged music score. Make-up is well-displayed and special effects admirably creative and fitting to the style of the film. The two leads are equally splendid with the extremely wonderful Shu Qi's vividly plucky turn as June and Eason Chan's perfectly sombre performance as Peter. The support cast are reasonably low-key and more there for the story's progression, but what is offered up is colourful bunch with the likes of Sam Lee, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, James Wong, Yiu-Cheung Lai, Jo Kuk and a memorable Tony Liu. Everyone's performances gel together, to make believable and emotional ties.A charming, offbeat little winner. Maybe too long in its story, but the novelty and atmospheric tone works from the get-go.

SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!!Hsu Chi and Sam Lee are fun to watch, and for the most part this film is fun and clever. The attempt at the end to pull a Sixth Sense turnabout fails horribly, too many plot contradictions, seems like an afterthought invoked late in the production. At least this film has a playful sense of style, and doesn't over saturate every scene in shades of lime green. The possessed characters are wonderfully over the top.

Visible Secret's directed and produced by one of the greatest living film-makers, Ann Hui. Ann's won numerous awards - best director, best film, etc. - and if you aren't acquainted with her, well, go see Visible Secret and you'll know why she's so good.The leads are pretty good. Say what you like, Shu Qi - the sex-pot - is a good actress. I particularly liked her in the early karaoke scene.But look out for the supporting actress Hui Ying Hong, the mother of a little boy called Hsiao Hsung in the movie. She's a famous Hong Kong actress with real kung fu skills. Here, she's not called on to display her fighting prowess, but, boy, can she act. In one scene, you can literally see the veins on her temple popping out, so intense yet natural is her facial expression; it reminds me of Lawrence Fishburne's very fine facial expressions as Morpheus in The Matrix, when he was interrogated by Agent Smith.Visible Secret is an intelligent movie - you've got to concentrate on the plot or you won't understand the ending. Everything ties together at the end, and if you understand it THEN - I couldn't, and a friend had to explain to me certain aspects of the movie even after a second viewing - you'll agree the story's superb.Though principally a horror movie, Visible Secret has some of the finest comedic moments I've ever seen on the silver screen. I caught it at preview, and the audience appreciated one funny moment so much a few persons actually applauded.Visible Secret's a real scary movie. And the best thing is, it doesn't rely on sudden, loud sounds to frighten you, which the lousy horror flicks resort to.Incidentally, the poster for the movie, which shows a row of seated people in an underground train, was banned by the MTR in Hong Kong as being too scary. I don't think the poster's too scary, but I do think it's very clever. The tagline "What's that sitting next to you?" is eye-catching.Watch out for the movie's play with sounds. It's nearly as good as The Ring in its use of sound to create an eerie mood. Incidentally, I don't know of any director who uses sound as well as Ann. PAY ATTENTION TO HER USE OF SOUND.One of the hallmarks of good movie direction is proper pacing. Director Ann excels at it.The original score is excellent.Many of the scenes are hauntingly beautiful.I believe Visible Secret will go down in movie history like Gattaca - good but underrated. Don't be put off by anyone who's seen the movie and says it's lousy - they just don't get it.Go see Visible Secret. You won't be disappointed. 10/10