Nü yong

It looks like mainland China is producing more horror films lately. Over the past year or so I've seen trailers for dozens of titles. "Chrysalis" turned out to be a nice little surprise.

After being kidnapped, a young woman awakens (three months later) on the side of a road with no memory of her abduction. Subsequently, she begins to experience psychological episodes that mirror her abductor's persona. During the opening half, this film is a bit uneven in its direction and scoring, and a bit messy in terms of scriptwriting. It just feels a bit rushed and impatient. Fortunately, it gets better as it progresses and contributes a very entertaining second half. The plot and protagonist hold interest throughout, the production values are nice, and there are some genuine surprises to be had. The visuals and overall style are quite good as well. This is a fun watch.

The hairdresser Wenxin was kidnapped and tortured by her love rival Anne. Three months later, she was found alive on the road, while Anne went missing. But that was only the beginning of Wenxin's suffering.

What followed was a complicated story with many turns and struggles in reality and imaginary worlds. At least one thing that happened was completely unexpected and shocking. There was also a feeling of tension throughout, because it was so unclear who the enemy was.

The actress who played Wenxin did a great job reacting to various situations. It was also nice of her to take the role of a narrator, making comments on the story. Anne was terrifying, but not as varied.

Not so impressive was Wenxin's fiancée Luo Jia, who had a weak presence. It was hard to believe that the girls would desire him so much when there was a much hotter boy with a motorcycle that they could have competed for instead.

Finally, the ending theme song was energizing.

The Chrysalis is a thrilling movie that is strongly recommended for anyone who dares to watch it.

It's a love-revenge movie, but trust me, it is way over my expectations, with so many twists and turns, and you cannot predict what will happen. From a Western point of view, it may be over-cooked and has to much melodrama. But from an Asean point of view, I really enjoy every minute of it. I doesn't focus much on fear factor, the horror is more on the bad side/the evil side of people. Of all characters, I really feel sorry for both Wen Guanxin and Anne Dai and the person I hate most is Luo Jia, that Casanona, who wrecked the hearts and souls of these poor women, and cause them do something way over evil. That handsome sweet little prince charming always act irresponsible for everything and runs away from all the mess he does! I wish he end up in hell! Finally, the movie is a gem and I think it will become a hit a China, maybe in all of Asia!