PIERCE (刺心切骨) (2024)

Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Nelicia Low
Cast: Liu Hsiu-Fu, Tsao Yu-Ning, Ding Ning
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Mature Content)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 7 November 2024

Synopsis: Zijie is a young fencer longing to reconnect with his estranged older brother Zihan, who mysteriously returns after seven years in juvenile prison for killing an opponent during a fencing match. Zijie believes Zihan’s insistence that he is innocent and secretly decides to help him, defying their mother’s efforts to erase Zihan from their lives. In return, Zihan starts to train Zijie in fencing and Zijie improves immensely, getting selected to compete at the upcoming National Championships. As the brothers grow closer, their mother finds out that they have re- united and is furious at Zijie, yet Zijie stubbornly sticks by his brother. But Zihan’s hostile past is triggered after an argument, leaving Zijie to finally question whether his beloved brother might be a violent sociopath after all. 

Movie Review:

It is interesting that the director behind this Mandarin language movie was a national fencer. Nelicia Low, who represented Singapore in fencing at the 2010 Asian Games, has helmed a film where fencing takes centrestage, and the result is a chilly thriller that leaves you edgily uneasy when the end credits roll.

Set in Taiwan, the protagonists are two brothers Zijie (Liu Hsiu-Fu) and Zihan (Tsao Yu-Ning). The younger Zijie is a teenage fencer who stays with his single mother (Ding Ning). He is not very good at the sport, unlike his elder brother who has just ended his seven year term in juvenile prison. What we find out is that Zihan was behind bars for killing an opponent in a fencing competition - what we do know is whether it was an intentional act of murder.

Despite the mother’s disagreement, Zijie reconnects with Zihan, and even learns some tips to improve his skills. The two brothers discuss how fencing requires anticipation of the opponent’s moves, and how important it is to be lightning fast in a sport that requires constant strategising. As they spend more time together, Zihan even provides dating tips to Zijie, who has a crush on a fellow male fencer (that’s where the M18 rating comes in).

While Zijie was initially convinced that what happened seven years ago which resulted in Zihan’s imprisonment was an accident, a series of observations begin to shake his belief. And when Zijie gets selected to play in the national championship, things get messy as Zihan shows up at the event unexpectedly.

The premise of this movie is intriguing enough for you to sit through the entire 106 minutes wondering what’s going to happen next. Written by Low, the story is inspired by her relationship with her older brother, who has autism. It is an exploration of whether a sibling’s love is truly reciprocated under certain circumstances.

For patient viewers, this slow burning film has a huge payoff. There is an arthouse atmosphere to the production, and the tension builds up slowly before culminating in a finale that will leave you dumbfounded. Throughout the movie, you experience intense fencing practices, seemingly idle conversations and somewhat uptight family gatherings which suggest that something may not be right about Zihan, but Low’s restrained approach keeps things under wraps. And this makes the viewing psychologically gripping.

The movie looks great on screen as well, thanks to Polish cinematographer Michał Dymek’s rich visuals. Be it the gym where Zihan trains in, the supermarket that Zijie works at, or the Chinese restaurant where the brothers and their mother meet their new family, the visuals are rich and enhance the storytelling.

The two lead actors deliver exceptional performances. The wide eyed Liu is endearing and he is like the good natured guy whom you do not bear to hurt. Meanwhile, Tsao, whom we last saw in the sweet romance flick I Am The Secret in Your Heart, is no longer the heartthrob figure. He has a world weariness in him, but there is something disturbingly sinister in his eyes that make you wary.

In a memorable scene, Zihan the sweet talker goes on quite a bit with his potential stepfather’s relatives, and a young boy at the table suddenly bursts into tears because Zihan is “scary” – this is a moment where you desperately search for clues of the danger that might follow, but you are left helpless because the film masterfully keeps you in suspense of what’s really beneath the layered tension.

Movie Rating:

(Featuring exceptional performances by Liu Hsiu-Fu and Tsao Yu-Ning, this slow burning psychological thriller keeps you guessing what's brewing beneath)

Review by John Li