Review | For Alice movie review: Tai Bo, Kuku So share a father-daughter bond in Hong Kong drama
This wistful drama from Wing Chow follows an ex-prisoner and the bond he starts to build with his daughter, who doesn’t know who he is
3/5 stars
An elderly ex-convict connects briefly with the daughter who never knew him in For Alice, a remarkably stripped-down chamber drama that leaves a wistful impression with the nocturnal ambience of its claustrophobic setting, as well as the delicate relationship between its two main characters.
In an atmospheric opening that portrays the film’s primary location, Mirador Mansion in Tsim Sha Tsui – almost as a character in its own right – the audience is eased into the narrative via a slow-motion montage of the everyday scenes in and around the historic apartment block, which was built in 1959.
It is an effective way to set our expectations – this is a proudly artful drama and not your average entertainment – and pre-empt any criticism of the many coincidences that follow in the story: namely, every character that Chen needs to meet is already living in Mirador Mansion.