Expired

Though the film flirts with some interesting sci-fi ideas (how would humans change if living with androids, social engineering through hormones, etc) - I found it stuck in the mud as a slow tribute to Bladerunner. The wooden voiceovers hurt, the cheesy "ThEy'Re FoLlOwInG meEe" hurts, the out-of-nowhere unrealistic love hurts. Not recommended.

Clearly a labour of love (Sven was director, writer, producer, cinematographer, editor and he did the music) but I can't recommend this. The main criticism is that it is so slow and feels twice its length. This isn't helped by the fact that Kwanten mumbles the entire time (it makes sense narratively, but still hurts), and that all the dialogue is just delivered slowly with no sense of urgency or pacing. I like the music, the film looks fine, but it's boring.

Don't be tricked by my score. I seem to be one of the few who liked this. I'm a fan of this director's style (i.e. the Mystery Road franchise), and I liked the visuals/mood/atmosphere this film created. I suspect others will be turned off by the stilted/direct dialogue, the one dimensional characters, the slow/almost non-existent plot, and how Hong Kong is 'futuristic' only by flying lens-flare drones. Also, the restaurant at 1h17m is the exact same restaurant from PTU (2003) at 1h02m.

I appreciate a how a film written, directed, and produced by the same person can fulfil an artistic vision. As such it's a decent film, but it isn't actually that interesting or good. If you want to meditate for an hour about how depressing life is, this is a fine way to do it.