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

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
A young fencer wrestles with conflicting loyalties towards his mother and older brother in Singaporean filmmaker Nelicia Low’s visually arresting yet dramatically wayward feature film debut.
Low is a former national fencer herself, and her Taiwan-set psychological drama displays a keen attention to detail when it comes to the sport, juxtaposing deftly choreographed strikes and lunges with the struggles of the film’s adolescent protagonist.
Yet Pierce’s bold visuals and unique setting cannot hide glaring weaknesses in Low’s overly melodramatic script.


High-schooler Zijie (Liu Hsiu-fu) lives with his widowed mother, Ai Ling (Ding Ning), an ageing club singer in the throes of a fledgling courtship with wealthy widower Zhuang (Lin Tsu-heng).
Like his older brother Zihan (Tsao Yu-ning), Zijie has taken up fencing, but shows none of the skill that saw his brother rise to become a three-time national champion.
That success was overshadowed, however, by an incident in which Zihan killed his opponent, and as the film begins, Zihan is about to complete his sentence at a juvenile detention centre.
Going against the wishes of his mother, who lies about Zihan’s whereabouts for fear of jeopardising her imminent engagement, Zijie reaches out to the brother he has always idolised, and secretly receives coaching from him. But lingering doubts surrounding the truth behind Zihan’s fateful bout put a strain on their relationship.

When Zijie unexpectedly finds himself in a romantic relationship with a male teammate, he must choose between his mother, his brother and his own happiness.
There are echoes of Francis Ford Coppola’s cult classic Rumble Fish in Pierce’s premise, but the superficial development of Zijie’s character and Liu’s somewhat flaccid performance never allow us to witness the emotional maelstrom of his adolescent torment.
Similarly, Zihan remains a frustratingly enigmatic figure, Low never sufficiently exploring whether he is a manipulative monster capable of murder or just another misunderstood youth demonised by a judgmental society.
The weakness of the film’s narrative is exposed most in its ludicrous finale – a bold, bravura showdown at the regional fencing championships that plays out like a scene from Battle Royale, employing shock value in the service of dramatic spectacle but dispensing with logic and character consistency in the process.

Low’s technical proficiency as a filmmaker is beyond reproach. Pierce features numerous visual flourishes and potent metaphors that suggest a promising career is in the offing.
More plausible scripts that accurately illustrate the human condition will be required, however, if she is to emerge triumphant from subsequent bouts.
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook


Pierce movie review: Liu Hsiu-fu, Tsao Yu-ning play brothers in fencing-themed melodrama

Ne Zha 2 inspires John Lee to ‘overcome obstacles, forge path’ for Hong Kong

Hong Kong director Riley Ip’s 3 best films, with Shu Qi, Kelly Chen, Eric Tsang and Twins

Fala Chen’s journey from American beauty queen to Hong Kong actress to Hollywood star

Asian cinema: Chinese films

Liu Hsiu-fu as high-school fencer Zijie in a still from Pierce (category IIB; Mandarin, Minnan, French) directed by Nelicia Low. Tsao Yu-ning and Ding Ning co-star.

Ding Ning as Zijie’s widowed mother, Ai Ling, in a still from Pierce.

Liu Hsiu-fu (left) as Zijie and Tsao Yu-ning as Zihan in a still from Pierce.

True Love, for Once in My Life movie review: Cecilia Yip, Tse Kwan-ho play divorced couple

Tse Kwan-ho as unfaithful husband Andrew and Cecilia Yip Tung as his devoted ex-wife, Sabrina, in a still from True Love, for Once in My Life.

Tse Kwan-ho as Andrew (centre) and Vanora Hui Yuet-sheung (left) and Himmy Wong Ting-him as his children with Sabrina in a still from True Love, for Once in My Life.

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.

Little Red Sweet movie review: Simon Yam, Stephy Tang in undercooked Hong Kong family saga

(From left) Jeffrey Ngai, Simon Yam, Mimi Kung and Tang in a still from Little Red Sweet.

Stephy Tang and Simon Yam in a still from Little Red Sweet (category I, Cantonese). Directed by Vincent Chow, it co-stars Jeffrey Ngai. 

Tang in a still from Little Red Sweet.

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.

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

Singaporean filmmaker Nelicia Low’s feature film debut has some visual flourishes but is let down by glaring weaknesses in its narrative


Singaporean filmmaker Nelicia Low’s feature film debut has some visual flourishes but is let down by glaring weaknesses in its narrative.


Chinese language cinema

Asian cinema

Film reviews

Cinema

Fencing

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 | Pierce movie review: Liu Hsiu-fu, Tsao Yu-ning play brothers in fencing-themed melodrama

Singaporean filmmaker Nelicia Low’s feature film debut has some visual flourishes but is let down by glaring weaknesses in its narrative