Dot 2 Dot (2014)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

I found "Dot 2 Dot" (aka "Dim dui dim") in the Asian section on Netflix, and of course I had to sit down to watch it right away given my admiration and fascination with the Hong Kong cinema. Plus, I must also admit that the synopsis for the movie sounded like this could be a rather unique movie experience.However, writer and director Amos Why just didn't really manage to create something that was all that outstanding. Sure, the movie was entertaining enough if you like these particular kind of slow-paced movies that are character driven and not story driven. However, it just turned out to be somewhat of a storyline that was lacking ingredients to keep it fresh and interesting throughout the entire running.It should be said that the acting in the movie was quite good, and I think that everyone acting in the movie really did good jobs, which actually did add something to the movie. And Candy Cheung, in particular, was outstanding in her performance in "Dot 2 Dot".The movie had so much potential, and I feel that Amos Why didn't even tap halfway into the potential that was present. "Dot 2 Dot" could have been so much more than it turned out to be.While "Dot 2 Dot" wasn't the most fast-paced or story-rich movie, then it did have some mighty fine moments here and there. But all in all, the end result of the movie was a mediocre one, when comparing it to other Hong Kong movies that carry the drama label and with a pinch of romance thrown into it. This is hardly the type of movie that you will watch more than once.

Dim dui dim aka Dot 2 Dot is a quiet intimate look at the lives of two outsiders - one from mainland China, and the other, has lived much of his life in Canada. He is highly educated and possesses an enviable work record; and he is handsome, and so he quickly catches the eye of one of his staff. She is a language teacher but as her principal notes, never smiles, at least in her classes, nor does she mix socially with the staff.Their lives become intertwined as she begins to research and ultimately solve the dot diagrams that he created before leaving HK. As such the film took me places I knew - subway stations, various districts - came to see in a new light.The script fleshes out some of the supporting characters, who make a good impression, and I got myself geared up to see what Round 3 would bring about.A very attractive couple, but lacking in old fashioned social skills, though we come to understand why She is so insular, and why He lives in the past.I saw this film on a Vancouver multi-cultural television station; in a 2 hour time slot, its 90 minute running time meant a lot of commercials!