The Guardian review: Not everything is as it seems in this regular vengeance story, turned to a mystery-thriller

4/5

Story:
After the sudden and shocking death of a pop star, her backup singer starts living her life. Did she kill her out of jealousy or did she earn all the fame with her hard work or take advantage of the situation with the help of some occult forces is what forms the rest of the story.

Review:
The film Thiên Than Ho Menh or The Guardian in English has a rather mysterious opening scene where a rich and gorgeous woman is seen getting dressed, collecting her doll and walking into a bathtub to kill herself. The opening scene itself sets the expectations high with the cinematography, using a dark and mysterious tone, and the film manages to not disappoint you.

The story revolves around a backup singer and social media influencer Ly, who is greedy for fame, money and luxury. She is trying to make it big in the music industry without the support of her single and poor father. She gets close to a popular pop singer who treats her as her sister but accidentally, gets drugged and raped by a drug addict gang. Ashamed and depressed when the videos get viral on social media, the popular singer kills herself. She is known to have a fondness for dolls and had also gifted one to her friend Ly.  

Ly gets introduced to a cult who tells her about the mysterious power of the doll she possesses and how she can utilise it to get all that she wants. She caves in and when all her wishes start coming true, she starts believing in those mysterious dolls, which like her roommate/best friend/manager Huyen looks like Annabelle.

The film has only occasional jumpscares which makes it more scary and suspenseful. After the death of the pop singer, Ly starts hallucinating or gets haunted by her as she buries herself in guilt for being responsible for her death and not revealing the identities of the accused to the police.

At one moment, you also feel sorry for Ly as she gets trapped in all the 'black magic' and looks helpless but later, after the big revelation, you realise everything is not as it seems. The performances of the cast are amazing. Unlike many dramas, they are not over the top. The story also manages to keep you guessing, only to realise that all the guesses are wrong at the end. The climax is compelling and hopeful as it promotes the idea that no criminal can escape the hands of the law.

The film is co-written by Victor Vu himself. The film uses a simple story of vengeance, jealousy and greed and turns it to create horror and mystery, and it does successfully without any lag or too many loose ends. The story is told in the appropriate runtime. Even though the film is over 2 hours, it does not seem to drag and manages to keep you engaged in the story, especially if you are a fan of mystery and thriller.

The music by Hung Khac and Christopher Wong complements the visuals well and creates a tense environment, adding to the impending horror and mystery. It keeps you at the edge of your seats.

And though the film shows who the actual killer is of the drug addict gang, it does not show how two of them were killed and thrown into a truck with ice cubes. It would have been better had it shown the murders the way it showed the murder of the first gang member.

The film markets itself as a horror flick, like many other makers do to grab more eyeballs, but it is, however, more of a mystery and thriller movie.

Verdict:
The film is a must-watch if you are a fan of mystery and thrillers. The story is gripping and its unpredictable twists will keep you glued to the screen.