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A Chinese family in America is disintegrating over the stresses from a strained marriage, generational differences, and looming tax issues with their small business, all overshadowed by the spectre of unfulfilled dreams. When the boundaries keeping the multiverse apart begin to collapse, however, all possible narratives begin to not just bleed together, but collide with spectacular effect - both cinematically and narratively.

This film reminded me of all the great reasons for being a cinema reviewer - not least opportunities like this, to get to see wonderful cinema before almost everyone else - and then write and publish exhortations to SEE THIS FILM!!

Not just for the spectacle - which is considerable - but also for a wonderful, heart-warmingly, human story of love and misunderstanding, that will have tears in your eyes even while you are laughing in disbelief at some of the colossally humorous and wickedly painful pratfalls that populate this enigmatic sci-fi-slash-martial-arts flick.

The cast were absolutely splendid and I loved absolutely all of the characters - however I will make special mention of both Stephanie Hsu, who was able to demonstrate a massive yet seamless range all within the same shot - in multiple scenes - and Jamie Lee Curtis, who brilliantly pulls off what is without doubt the strangest character portrayal of her career.

This is the best film I've had the opportunity to review in quite some time and I'm very keen to see how it fares in the awards season.

Bottom line: I thoroughly recommend you see this film, so you can decide for yourself whether it's worth the second viewing I know I'll be making.

Just rubbish... gave it two episodes but I knew about 10 minutes into Ep1 that it was doomed.

Archie Panjabi fan notwithstanding...

This is a haunting story of a young woman seeking a balance between love for her family and her desire to live a normal life in her adopted country. In telling the story of Nisha, an immigrant walking the cultural tightrope between her Pakistani heritage and her home outside of Norway's capital, the film is a strong, unblinking statement about the imminent savagery still menacing women and girls who won't conform to the imported, conservative cultural values and behaviours their parents strive to maintain, amid the economic benefits they want from affluent liberal modernity.