bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

James Marsh

3/5 stars
From Chinese blockbuster No More Bets to the Sandra Ng Kwan-yue-led romance Love Lies, films about the dangers of online scamming are appearing as frequently as the calls themselves of late, and warrant a subgenre all their own.
Taiwanese director Lien Chien-hung’s latest film, Salli, sees a lonely chicken farmer duped by someone posing as a suave European art dealer but, rather than unspool as a straightforward cautionary tale, the film uses the incident as a catalyst for positive personal growth.
Esther Liu Pin-yan stars as Hui-jun, a spinster in her late thirties who lives with her younger brother, Wei-hong (Austin Lin Po-hung), in a small Taiwanese village.


She is deemed bad luck by her relatives and is told not to attend Wei-hong’s coming wedding, despite him wanting her to host the celebration.
Hui-jun’s teenage niece Xin-ru (Tang Yung-hsu) is feeling equally dejected, as she has been forced to leave Shanghai and move to this small backwater community after her father abandoned her.

In an effort to cheer up her “Tiger Aunt”, Xin-ru signs Hui-jun up to a dating app under the nickname “Salli”. She is soon targeted by a smooth-talking Frenchman, who wastes no time in professing his love for Hui-jun.
Unsurprisingly, she finds the attention impossible to resist, despite being warned repeatedly by everyone around her that she is probably being catfished. Defiantly, Hui-jun throws caution to the wind and jets off to Paris, leaving her quiet little corner of the world for the very first time.
A French-Taiwanese co-production, Salli makes good use of its Parisian locations, throwing Hui-jun in at the deep end to explore all the major tourist spots, as well as sample some of the city’s hedonistic, free-spirited nightlife.

While it is acknowledged early on that Hui-jun is definitely being conned, the film has no interest in seeing any harm come to its heroine. Crossing paths with a criminal, albeit virtually, merely inspires Hui-jun to spread her wings and finally fly the coop.
Simple yet effective in its execution, Salli takes to task outdated traditions that measure a woman’s value by her husband, children and social status.
It succeeds in large part thanks to Liu’s eminently sympathetic performance as a woman who has been shunned by those closest to her, solely because there is no man in her life.
Somewhat predictably, the film ultimately resolves that there is no place like home – but nothing compares to a fleeting European interlude to recalibrate one’s perspective.
Salli opens in cinemas on Friday February 28.
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook


How Gordon Chan’s The Final Option and its sequels helped change Hong Kong police movies

How Hong Kong actress Carman Lee found fame in Condor Heroes on TV, then gave it all up

What’s ‘extended’ in new In the Mood for Love cinema special edition in 4K?

See Ne Zha 2 on IMAX in the US? Chinese people hire cinema, make it a community experience

Asian cinema: Chinese films

Salli movie review: Esther Liu finds her worth as a single woman in dating scam drama

Esther Liu in a still from Salli.

Esther Liu as Hui-jun  in a still from Salli (category III; Mandarin, Minnan, French, English), directed by Lien Chien-hung. Austin Lin co-stars.

(From left) Austin Lin as younger brother Wei-hong, Esther Liu as Hui-jun and Tang Yung-hsu as her niece Xin-ru in a still from Salli.

Esther Liu as Hui-jun and Austin Lin as Wei-hong in a still from Salli.

Ne Zha 2 movie review: record-breaking Chinese animation sequel is spectacular to watch

The titular character (voiced by Lü Yanting) in a still from Ne Zha 2 (category I, Mandarin), directed by Jiaozi.



Ao Bing in a still from Ne Zha 2.

A still from Ne Zha 2.

The Way We Talk movie review: Chung Suet-ying shines as a deaf woman new to sign language

Neo Yau (left) and Chung Suet-ying in a still from The Way We Talk.

Chung Suet-ying in a still from The Way We Talk (category IIA, Cantonese, Hong Kong sign language), directed by Adam Wong. Neo Yau and Marco Ng co-star.

Marco Ng (left) and Neo Yau in a still from The Way We Talk.

Marco Ng (left) and Chung Suet-ying in a still from The Way We Talk.

Berlin 2025: Girls on Wire movie review – Wen Qi stars in Vivian Qu’s uneven genre blender

Liu Haocun (left) and Wen Qi in a still from Girls on Wire (category to be confirmed; Mandarin and Sichuanese), directed by Vivian Qu. Photo: L’Avventura Films

Vivian Qu, director of Girls on Wire, attends a press conference at the Berlin International Film Festival. Actress Liu Haocun, one of the stars of the movie, is on her left. Photo: AP

Berlin 2025: Living the Land movie review – searing depiction of China’s rural poor

Wang Shang (left) and Zhang Chuwen in a still from Living the Land, directed by Huo Meng and screened in competition at the 2025 Berlin Internaitonal Film Festival. Photo: Floating Light (Foshan) Film and Culture

A still from Living the Land. Photo: Floating Light (Foshan) Film and Culture

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

Lien Chien-hung’s film follows a lonely chicken farmer who embarks on a journey of self-discovery after being scammed on a dating app


Lien Chien-hung’s film follows a lonely chicken farmer who embarks on a journey of self-discovery after being scammed on a dating app.


Chinese language cinema

Asian cinema

Film reviews

Cinema

What to do in Hong Kong

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

Review | Salli movie review: Esther Liu finds her worth as a single woman in dating scam drama

Lien Chien-hung’s film follows a lonely chicken farmer who embarks on a journey of self-discovery after being scammed on a dating app