The Peony Pavilion

A pleasant, but small and somewhat limited drama. The dream sequences are what set this film apart, but they're not quite extravagant enough to carry the film by themselves. The drama feels a tad too light in contrast, even though it's meant to be pretty deep and harrowing.

A young student is feeling the pressure of the exams she is about to take. She prefers to lose herself in a dream world, where she has fallen in love with a scholar. A pop singer is visiting that same dream world, as she is escaping from the pressure of delivering her next hit album.

The performances are solid enough, and the setup of the drama is interesting. The cinematography's a tad too pedestrian though and while the dream sequences look good, the potential was there to do even more. I was engaged throughout and the film has no real weak points, it's just not that distinctive.