My Left Eye Sees Ghosts
Reviewed by YTSL
Up until the summer of 2000, films that were
released under the aegis of Milkyway Image seemed to invariably be serious
crime dramas that starred Lau Ching Wan. From “Needing You…” onwards
though, they have been far more likely to be (romantic) comedies whose
biggest human draw is Sammi Cheng. As if this was not enough of a
sea change, for a while there, it had looked like the substantial box office
success of that which remains the biggest commercial hit of the leading
production company headed by über director-producer Johnnie To was
majorly responsible for pretty much every profit-oriented -- as opposed
to acclaim-seeking -- Hong Kong movie maker not daring to offer up anything
that was not designed to go all out to tickle viewer’s funny bones.
Just as many people were starting to think that
humor-heavy efforts would come to be to Hong Kong films in the first decade
of the 21st century what kungfu flicks had been in the 1970s however, there
have latterly appeared on the scene such serious supernatural themed efforts
as “Inner Senses” and “The Eye”. What with its principal actor being
the substantial presence who now been in fifteen of Johnnie To’s movies
-- and thus can be safely identified as the auteur’s favorite leading man
-- rather than the more light weight Andy Lau, who had appeared in Milkyway
Image’s previous three summer releases, there was some reason to think
that the guest star-filled (including by Wong Tin Lam, Simon Yam and Ruby
Lin) MY LEFT EYE SEES GHOSTS was a production that would be more likely
to follow in those often suspenseful as well as dramatic works’ wake than
be comedic in nature.
Alternatively, on account of there being doubts
regarding Sammi Cheng’s ability to do much more than charm people plus
get them to break into giggles, it did seem difficult to believe that the
Johnnie To and Wai Ka Fai co-helmed offering which paired up the HKSAR’s
highest paid actress for the first time with Lau Ching Wan would be all
that different from her previous Milkyway Image plus other star vehicles.
Consequently, my sense is that the majority of MY LEFT EYE SEES GHOSTS’
viewers will not only quickly cotton on to the fact of the movie’s opening
scene being obviously played for laughs (despite its taking place in a
cemetery) but also then proceed to anticipate that this is how they should
approach the rest of this Milkyway Image production (even though it has
the generally sun-shiny Sammi playing a widow who is neither all that merry
nor -- initial appearances to the contrary, and in what appears to be a
jibing reference to the singer-actress’ Chinese New Year 2002 film -- one
who had married her husband of what turned out to be just seven days because
he was a rich man).
Although MY LEFT EYE SEES GHOSTS starts off with
Sammi Cheng’s May Ko character having only recently lost her husband (whose
name is Daniel Tsui), it soon fast-forwards three years into the future.
For much of that time, as before, she comes across as very much the odd
one out when in the company of her matriarchal mother-in-law (The elder
Mrs. Tsui is essayed by Bonnie Wong), deceased spouse’s co-founder of a
now very successful business (Lee San San’s scream prone Susan has an extra
axe to grind with May on account of her having been Daniel’s ex-girlfriend
as well as someone who has known him for far longer than the woman he had
wed) and -- considering the at least superficially suspect circumstances
of their worlds getting aligned -- unexpectedly sympathetic sister-in-law
(Tina is portrayed by Cherie Ying). Indeed, it could be said that
she -- whose money-hungry father comes in the form of Lam Suet, and low-life
brother is over-played by Lam Chi Sin -- was liable to strike most people
as just plain odd even prior to the fateful night that a drunken May crashed
her husband’s antique car and ended up requiring an eye transplant.
As May lay dying in the wrecked car, a ghost portrayed
by Lau Ching Wan (and who later identifies himself as her primary school
classmate, Wong Kin-Fai, AKA Ken) appears to urge her to stay in the realm
of the living. Soon afterwards, while lying in a hospital bed, she
is witness to him protractedly -- and correctly, as it turned out -- arguing
with two grim reapers who had come for her. Over the course of this
turn of events, she realizes with a start and scream that “MY LEFT EYE
SEES GHOSTS”! What consequently has her disturbed for even longer
is that Lau Ching Wan’s supernatural -- but fortunately generally genial
-- character seems intent on not only being her (multiple) saviour but
also spending a considerable amount of time hanging out around and with
her.
Before too long though, his companionship not
only becomes par for the course but also one that is treasured by she who,
if truth be told, had been feeling rather lonesome (among other things).
As the friendship of the caring male ghost and actually psychologically
fragile human female gradually takes shape, MY LEFT EYE SEES GHOSTS slowly
but surely -- and very hearteningly as well as heart-warmingly, IMHO --
transforms from being a work with what had appeared to be purely farcical
ambitions to that which has deeper and more emotionally moving underpinnings
than I had imagined that it would possess. In the process, this Wai
Ka-Fai, Yau Nai-Hoi and Au Kin Yee co-scripted effort that had initially
struck me as dangerously over-eager to please -- and unfortunately has
a sizable middle portion that sagged too much for this (re)viewer to be
able to ignore -- turned out to be one that I wish to applaud its makers
for having taken some chances on that they didn’t necessarily need to have
done plus having gotten those actions of theirs to yield some wonderful
(even if) tear-jerking dividends.
My rating for the film: 7.5
