Pali Road (2016)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

If you are tired of the Hollywood blockbusters, this movie will be a perfect one for you! It has a little bit of everything: mystery, suspense, romance and an ending that will leave you scratching your head. Story is believable and very well put together, directing is superb and there are some scenes in the movie that take breath away. Actors were relatively unknown to me but they did an amazing job portraying their characters. Michelle Chen was especially convincing in her role of Lily, but not only she is a great actress but very hot too XD I warmly recommend this cute and unique romance to everyone with a heart. I give it an 8 star rating!

Beside Hollywood production I love watching Korean and Japanese movies, but I am not really familiar with the Chinese cinematography. Jonathan Hua Lang Lim, who was completely unknown to me before, did a great job with this movie. There is some amazing background scenery, that is combined with a top-notch direction, so I will surely be paying attention to this director's future work. Acting is good and the story is very well put together. I didn't find any plot holes in the script, everything made sense and I loved the ending. I highly recommend the movie to all the romance lovers, even though it has some elements of thriller so I am sure the audience of many different genres will like it.

Part love story, part psychological thriller, Pali Road is an unusual and memorable film. The strong multicultural cast, the Hawaiian setting, and mix of Asian and Polynesian cultural themes make this a unique film that deserves a wider audience. The plot is tight and quick paced, so the story never lags. Performances by the actors and actresses are strong and convincing. The ending will strike some as abrupt and perhaps a tad unsatisfying, but this minor flaw does not diminish the overall quality of the film and may even enrich the element of mystery. The cinematography is gorgeous and gives the movie a strong sense of place. Strongly recommended.

The plot is suspenseful and the characters are intriguing. It is creative and the "what will happen next" keeps viewers riveted to the film. I love the winding of local culture and the beauty of the islands was well interweaved. The photography/cinematography was beautiful, it takes a real artist to catch some of the scenes. I was surprised by the outcome of the film and like that I did not expect it. The female roles were well cast and I kept watching the faces of the female characters. The cinematography was expert in coloring the background scenes of the islands to show viewers the inner beauty of Hawaii. It was interesting to see the interaction of the in laws and parents and I think they were portrayed as many of the old time parents thought, those of the "fifties". In addition, the film showed a suspense, a girls plight, riveting portrayal of family roles and local cultural roles, scenery, changes in life, choices in life and how those affect ones' outcome, responsibilities in life. After seeing the film you go out to think about our own lives and the movies makes one think of how our own choices affect where and whom we are.