Ting shuo

Hear Me, or Ting Shuo (as it referred to in native language), is a semi-recent Taiwanese film that is part of the current wave of Taiwan cinema that's making a name for itself outside of the more traditional Asian movie making powerhouses. Welcome to the party Taiwan! The more the better I says!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Is this movie "gimmicky"?...YES!. In fact, it's totally dependent on its gimmick to make it all work. With regards to gimmicky movies, I often try to think about what it would be like if you removed the underlying gimmick from the equation in order to better judge it, i.e. would it still be a good movie if you did so?...You just can't do that here though, because there would be no movie without the gimmick.

Story: This is a romantic drama that revolves around two deaf sisters who can only communicate through sign language (this is the gimmick). The two sisters do their best to make a living while realizing their goals in a world where the cards are heavily stacked against them. One of the sisters is an aspiring swimmer, and the younger sis tries to encourage and support her while trying to make ends meet for the both of them. Life is tough though, and they keep getting more crap piled on them no matter how hard they try to succeed.

Enter our young hero. He works for his family's restaurant and delivers meals all over town. On his route is the athletic/swimming facility for the deaf, where he happens upon the younger of the two sisters. He's not deaf, but he does happen to know sign language, and he's instantly smitten with the young deaf sister upon meeting her. So, he pursues her, and there's your romantic angle of the story line.

The actress playing the young deaf sister is the tiniest and cutest thing ever, and the lead actor who portrays the guy interested in her is suitably "adorable" & likable. She's pretty cautious and somewhat standoffish, but he persists, and perhaps love can one day bloom between the two if everything works out. They would make the cutest couple ever if so.

The two actresses starring as the deaf sisters are really good in their roles. I (obviously) don't know the Taiwanese version of sign language, but it sure does look like the 2 actresses do. As a result, there's a number of thoughtful and touching/emotional signed scenes between the two of them throughout the film that are very nicely done. The main male lead gets the job done quite well. Aside from them, the only other meaningful characters in this movie are the mother & father of the male lead, and, they are just flat out awesome in their respective roles.

This movie also had a very well done end game goal/result that caught me off guard a bi. IIt's really, really, really, rare that a movie or TV show will make me say; "HmmmI wasn't expecting that to happen!"

There's a lot to like with this movie; the story is pretty good and well thought out, all the characters are likable, and it's well shot/filmed throughout. Perhaps the most impressive aspect about this film is its musical scoring & sound effects; the "soundtrack" hits all the proper notes when & where needed throughout, and the subtle use of background "noise" when the deaf are communicating is nothing short of outstanding.

Bottom Line: This Movie is pretty good. It's an uber cute dramatic love story (with a gimmick) that makes for a great "date night" watch. What's wrong/lacking?...not much, other than its too freakin' long. As such, some "fat" trimming would have definitely benefited this film. Nevertheless, it is quite well done overall as is. And, I just absolutely loved it!

So, 8 out of 10 stars for me!...Solidly recommended!

I rarely watch Chinese films because most of the ones I saw were exaggerated, too much CG effects but less storyline. This one is one of the few I'd watched and enjoyed, even made it as one of my Hall of Fame movies. Only less than hundred out of tens of thousands of movies I ever watched made it to the Hall of Fame; most are Hollywood movies; the rest are Japanese, Korean, British and French movies.

The movie is about hardworking mute girl and lazy lunch-box delivery boy. The girl had no extra time to play around because she had to earn the money to support her mute sister, a Paralympic swimmer. On the other hand, the boy had so much time to fool around 'cuz he's the pampered child of a restaurant owner parents. Most of the time, I thought I'm watching a silent film because most of the scenes were hand gesture conversation. I'm not saying that it's boring but very interesting because this is my first time for this type of movie. There's a plot twist near the end and you'll be surprised by that. That's why I won't spoiled it anymore.

I'll just express my feelings in number and recommend some of my favorite movies. My rating systems are purely based on the overall feeling of the entire movie and just for expressing emotion numerically in a set format.

First Impression: Impressive {FI = 1/1}

Storyline {S = 2.5/3}; Logical Point of View: Expressive (LPV = 1/1), Moral Point of View: Ethical (MPV = 0.5/1), Sequence: Thrilling (Sq = 1/1)

Characters & Chemistry {C&C = 3/4}; Chemistry between Lead Casts : Sparks fly (CLC = 2/2), Supporting Effect: Supportive (SE = 1/1)

Expectation & Reality: Unexpected {E&R = 1/1}

Last Impact: Satisfied {LI = 1-/1}

Total Point = 8.5-/10, Bonus Point: Music & Originality {BP = 0.5/0.5+}, Deduction Point: None {DP = 0/2}

Grand Total = 9- *Unique*

Movie Suggestion by:

~ Film Genre ~ The Choice (2016) {Dra-Rom} ~ 8.5, Finding You (2020) {Dra-Rom} ~ 8.5, Miracle: Letters to the President (2021) {Dra} ~ 8.5+

~ Point ~ Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow (1963) ~ 9-, Armageddon (1998) ~ 9-, The Parent Trap (1998) ~ 9-

*** You can check my uncut reviews and favorite movie lists by visiting my profile. I hope this can be of any help to movie buff like me! ***

A debut film for the first time director, Fen-fen Cheng, Hear Me (2009) is a story of a meal box delivery boy, Tian Kuo, who falls In love with hearing impaired girl named Yang Yang. Without difficulty, both of them could communicate well through the use of sign language. The story also revolves on Yang Yang's sister, Xiao Peng, who is deaf and hearing impaired as well. This film will surely make you laugh and cry even at the same time. Even Tian Kuo's parents role in the movie are additional spices and entertainments on the film. Love will be on the air as you watch this film. Even without directly spoken lines, and eyes are really needed, I was amazed on how the actors and actresses gave dazzling performances. Their scenes wherein some of it was just purely sign languages, their eyes, emotions and their actions were so powerful that I really felt their character. The connection between each and every one of them was fantastic. There were a lot of melancholic and hilarious scenes on the film but they blended very well. This movie is for all ages. It teaches us that we should not look down with people who has disabilities but rather accept them for who they are. Disabilities are not a hindrance for us to love a person. This movie tells us that we should appreciate the hard work that one is doing especially when they do it for others. Every single cent of your money is worth it if you watch this film! Unquestionably, you will hear the heartbeat of love.

The story was good that a cute love between a mute girl and a delivery boy in his own restaurant. The screenplay was non boring. Cinematography and music were soul of this film. The characters like heroine sister and hero parents were well designed and the artists who played those roles were done good. The dialogue and scenes in the climax were so lovely. A good film.

What moves me the most is the relationship between the two sisters. The story stard with a beautiful misunderstanding that the viewer's don't know until the very end of the story. The performance by Yihan Chen was just marvelous,it moved me to tears in the scene where the two sisters talked about their dreams and responsibilities. It's a sweet love story but it's more about the family who sacrificed themselves. It's about how love can transcend language and all the outside barriers.