Witty dialogue but not enough laughs in Meeting Dr Sun [Review]
Director, writer and producer Yee Chih-yen is back with Meeting Dr Sun, a comedy with a light tone which cleverly highlights serious poverty and inequality in Taiwan. Although the pace of the movie could be faster, it's definitely worth watching for its creative storyline and witty dialogue.
When you're extremely poor, it can become something to brag about. Not being able to afford your school fees can even become an excuse to steal a useless bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen from the school storeroom.
The trouble starts when both Lefty (Zhan Huai-yun) and Sky (Wei Han-ting) both believe they are the poorest kid about, and fight each other for the statue.
First-time actors Zhan and Wei give somewhat stiff performances, but still manage to convey how widespread - and neglected - poverty really is.
The students' naïve attempts at committing crimes, like using girly masks as disguises, becomes the film's running gag. But at most this is only mildly funny, and it is also too repetitive.
While Joseph Chang's short appearance as the school security guard certainly adds appeal, ultimate kudos goes to Yee for some great lines in the script. When Sky speaks about being left in a home without tables and chairs, he jokes: "everything with legs ran away."