SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD | FILM REVIEW
Dir: Sam Quah (15, 112 mins)
A Chinese/Thai remake of 2013 Indian thriller Drishyam that solidly tells a story of murder, corruption and a family struggling against substantial odds. Thai teenager Ping Ping (Wenshan Xu) is attacked and raped by nasty rich kid Suchat, the son of a powerful police chief (played by Joan Chen) and her mayoral candidate husband. When she finds out, Ping Ping’s mother (Zhuo Tan) confronts him; in an ensuing struggle, the privileged teen is killed.
To avoid discovery, the family – headed by dad Li Weije (Yang Xiao) – stage a coverup based on the father’s extensive film knowledge of. It’s an elaborate setup, retooling a trip away to include family and creating a montage of fact and fiction with an apparently perfect alibi. The only apparent spanner in the works is a brutish policeman, who can contradict elements of Weije’s story. Wily police chief Chen knows something is suspect, too, and sets about finding the truth with extreme prejudice. Detaining the family with an iron fist, he interrogates them and all who might know something.
The community rises up against the police, however, as no body is found for the missing Suchat. Riots and social unrest result, and a bigger guilt surfaces: Chen realises what her son did, and Xiao’s vengeful father may also have a darker secret. Sweeping camera work, slo-mo and melodrama abounds throughout, with an overemphatic score often signposting the way. The overwrought emotion does not quite land, either – father/daughter bonds, family ties and responsibility lost amidst the style of the piece.
Chen shines as the compromised but ferocious police chief, adding layers of humanity to her performance, but the persecuted family are a little one-note to truly elicit empathy. This is still a solid depiction of masses rising up in the face of apparent injustice, as well as a family drama, but its often-operatic extremes may prove distracting for some.
Released via digital download on Mon 26 Apr
words KEIRON SELF