Sei si sei si sei sap sei

Over My Dead Body, a dark comedy satirizing the grim real estate situation in Hong Kong takes an overly-simplistic broadly comic approach to its subject that it's more farce than witty satire, but is sharp enough to never bite off more than it can chew. It'll connect best with the HK youth, exorcising their frustrations by laughing at their worst nightmare realized.

After finding an anonymous corpse lying outside their apartment door, the residents of luxury housing Seaside Heights undergo a night of chaos and shenanigans disposing of the body to prevent the property values from plummeting.

Satires are tricky to pull off on film from their hostile and contemptuous nature. Even when they're well-executed and stab their target just right, they're still cold dishes that are unpleasant to sit through.

In his sophomore effort, writer-director Ho Cheuk Tin continues to show great promise since last year's The Sparring Partner, currently the top contender in the upcoming 2023 Hong Kong Film Awards. Ho directs with much wit. His greatest strength is visualizing his character's imaginations in cinematically interesting ways, which he continues in Over My Dead Body as the cast fantasizes about being 19th century French Bourgeoisie.

Ho's satirical message is so crystal clear from frame one that it risks exhausting its premise in its first hour of hijinks within the apartment building. However, the charming cast delivers enough laughs that the film wraps up nicely before the farce outstays its welcome.

Ever since Chilli Laugh Story, I have been appreciating Ronald Cheng's comedic talents much more in the current phase of his career. Unlike in his younger days, he underplays the comedic situation, mugs less, and displays great comic timing with his line deliveries. Also, Alan Yeung Wai Lun from the Sparring Partner continues to stand out as a new rising star, providing much of the laughs as comic relief.

Yet, something is missing from Over My Dead Body. The film swims on the surface of what it wants to say and never arrives at any kind of deeper understanding. I couldn't say I cared about any of the characters in the traditional screenwriting sense. My interest was mainly in 1) watching how the situation would play out and 2) seeing how many laughs can be squeezed out of the comedy.

That can only take you so far. The jokes were funny but only good enough for a one-time watch.

Last year, the directors' "The Corridor of Justice" was well received. This year's has a completely different style compared to the last one, it can resonate more with Hong Kong people. The reality is actually as absurd as the movie. Although the plot is a bit off topic, it involves issues such as land issues, pets in private buildings, family ethics, marriage, real estate advertisements , haunted house property prices, etc., a lot of culture shock, a lot of details, I believe Hong Kong people have a special resonance, there must be laugh with tears. The cast is good, although there are many characters, each has its own characteristics, especially the security guards of the building.

Over My Dead Body, originally known as Seisi Seisi Seisapsei, is a pitch-black satire from Hongkong criticizing the explosion of property prices and its consequences on middle-class citizens. The movie follows a group of residents of an apartment complex who discover the body of an unknown naked male on their floor in the middle of the night. Since they are afraid that the discovery of such a body could significantly lower the value of their apartments, they are trying to find more and more adventurous ways to get rid of it.

This movie's shining highlight is its eclectic selection of characters and most importantly their connections. First of all, we meet a family that lives in the apartment of the tyrannical grandmother that is much too small for all of them. Up next, we meet an elderly couple consisting of a forgetful wife and a proud husband who are completely taken by surprise by the events. We then meet a single lady who has recently converted to Buddism and lives with her beloved dog and a housekeeper from the Philippines. Lastly, the last apartment on the floor belongs to a single father working as a cab driver and his aggressive son who has never gotten over his parents' separation. Along the way, these characters meet a few other ones such as a zealous security guard and a chain-smoking daredevil lady who is supposed to get married the next day. The chemistry, developments and tensions between these different characters are fascinating to observe from start to finish.

The story features a few dynamic ideas but is overall very predictable. There are numerous elements of foreshadowing right from the start that give attentive viewers a very good idea how the film is going to be ending. This is why the inspired story was lacking an element of surprise that could have ended the film on a high note.

The flow of the movie also has its ups and downs. Initially, viewers are introduced to way too many characters who are difficult to empathize with. Especially the first family that is introduced in the movie comes off as cold-hearted, manipulative and selfish with the exception of the little girl. It's only once all characters have been introduced that they develop some depth as not only weaknesses but also strengths are being explored.

This film has overall a humorous tone and can be described as a macabre comedy film. The film's connections to a very real problem with exaggerated property prices will strike a chord with many residents from Hongkong and its surroundings as well as similarly expensive markets. Viewers who are however less exposed to such problems in their personal lives might have issues connecting with the topic and getting all the sinister jokes about it. The movie's humorous flow is at times intertwined with elements of tragedy that hit particularly hard and make for a vivid rollercoaster ride. Viewers certainly have to be open to deal with the collision of exaggeratedly humorous elements and heartbreakingly tragical scenes.

At the end of the day, Over My Dead Body is a decent satire with interesting character developments and a bubbly mixture of bittersweet satire and tearjerking tragedy. The downsides are an initially repulsive set of characters and predictable plot developments. This movie certainly isn't as excellent as some reviews claim but it nevertheless offers two hours of dynamic entertainment on a slow night.