I don’t know what to tell you. I think it is unfortunate that you don’t believe I know Taiwan is its own independent nation, having a direct line of political rule back to the Republic of China via the KMT, but that’s on you. I also think it’s unfortunate you don’t see the benefit of a critic reviewing foreign films. It’s a global industry. I think it’s important to watch a broad range of cinema to fully experience the art form. I think it’s ridiculous not to acknowledge the shared film language and style between China and Taiwan, since Golden Horse does such a spectacular job of celebrating precisely that: a family of Chinese language screen communities. It is actually possible to celebrate shared culture of separate nations. It is also possible to say that a film is well-made, well-performed, and ultimately too much like numerous other films to stand out from the crowd.

I think that about wraps it up. I’ve got nothing else to say.

You are seeing racism where I maintain none is there. [OKAY, I AM WRONG AND I APOLOGIZE]. You also seem to ascribing a weird malice on my part towards what I would argue is a relatively ordinary film. [AGAIN IF YOU SAW MALICE, I APOLOGZIE, NOT MY INTENT] And why review it? Because there is precious little reviewing of North Asian cinema by independent English language critics. I stand by my review and think it’s fair. — GRANT, my Aussie friend, from Danny your Yankee friend in Taiwan, you are right to stand by your review, and it was fair …..as far as it being a review by a white man who has never lived in Taiwan before and most likely never will. So go on being that way, and see where it gets you. Well, it today’s world it will get you far and you will becom a top film critic worldwide. I applaud your many fine reviews, you are a born writer and a born critic. but leave poor Taiwan alone. You know very little about this country, as I do too,very little and you prolly think Tawian is a mere province of PRC China as your Aussie pols kiss ass to China 24/7 and humiliate Taiwanese living in OZ in doing so. Do you care about OZ humiliating Taiwanese lviing in OZ? I assume you don’t care about Taiwan people’s feelings. If i am wrong, show me in your future reviews. ciao,. Dan, friend of Australia. long relationship with its literary critics, but you are the first film critic I met there. Good luck and prosper. sir. Don’t ,mind me. I’m 70. You are prolly 30. So mind the gap. SMILE

You are seeing racism where I maintain none is there. You also seem to ascribing a weird malice on my part towards what I would argue is a relatively ordinary film. And why review it? Because there is precious little reviewing of North Asian cinema by independent English language critics. I stand by my review and think it’s fair.

I prefer to be honest and let readers come to decide whether or not they share my tastes. Then they can come to realise, for example, if they hate my opinions most of the time, they can either find a better reviewer or even use me the opposite way around: if I hated it, it might be more likely the reader likes it.

As for any Australian parochialism in the review, I am an Australian critic writing for an audience that is overwhelmingly Australian and American. Given Dad’s Suit lacks a sufficient hook on it’s own merit, I think it’s only worth that audience tracking it down if one is particularly interested in watching cinema from the Chinese diaspora, whether the PRC, Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan.

Hi Danny, thank you for taking the time to comment even if you disagreed with and disliked my review.

As you know from my review, I thought it was a well-made film but simply lacked anything that to my mind made it stand out from the crowd. I have seen a great many Chinese language intimate dramas over the past few years, and I personally feel it’s getting tougher for one of them to make an impact.