SILK

Armed with a newly invented material called the Menger Sponge, a team of Taiwanese scientists led by the Japanese Hashimoto captures the energy of a ghost child. In an effort to learn about the ghost’s past, they enlist the help of special agent Ye, a member of the Joint Crime Crackdown Unit with an extraordinarily gifted eyesight. Reluctant at first, Ye himself is haunted by guilt, not knowing how to let go of his dying mother. He accepts the assignment to seek salvation from what the ghost child may reveal about life, and life after death. Ye sees a single strand of silk connected from the ghost to a mysterious power. Tracking the strand of silk, Ye learns the horrifying truth of the child’s death. Fearing that the ghost child is dangerous, the team decides to isolate the ghost but in doing so they unknowingly unleash the mysterious source on the other end of the silk strand, a much more powerful and ferocious energy. Silk is one of the best ghost movies in recent years, presenting an intriguing and complex mix of sci-fi, actual science and heart-moving characters of flesh and blood. At its core, Silk dwells on themes of existence, family, and the human emotions of love and hate. Chang Chen ( Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ), who plays Ye, gives a very solid performance as both a cop and a son in distraught. There are many truly genuine scary moments in Silk as well as sad and touching scenes which might even bring about some tears. Editing and plot are superbly done, the art direction and special effects are excellent and the camerawork and lighting are so well executed that you’ll get goosebumps from the atmosphere alone.