The Invisible Guest (2023) – Movie Review
A murder accusation leads a woman to try to work with a corrupt cop for her freedom or suffer jail time.
[Unless Said Otherwise] Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Who Is This For?
Those who enjoy a small cast in a momentous mystery where it is all about perspective until there is no denying the truth.
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General Information
| Director(s) | Cheng Wei Hao,
Raymond Yip |
| Based On Work By | Oriol Paulo, Lara Sendim |
| Date Released | December 15, 2023 |
| How To Watch | In Theaters |
| Genre(s) | Crime
Non-English (Chinese) |
| Film Length | 1 Hour 47 Minutes |
| Content Rating | Not Rated |
| Noted Characters and Cast | |
| Joanna | Janine Chun-Ning Chang |
| Ming Hao | Yin Zheng |
| Zheng Wei | Greg Han Hsu |
| Leo Ping | To Be Determined |
Content Rating Explanation
- Dialog: Nothing Notable
- Violence: Depiction of Murder
- Sexual Content: Nothing Notable
- Miscellaneous: Depiction Of Notable Depressive Episode And Drinking
Plot Summary
Joanna is accused of murdering her childhood friend and secret lover, Ming Hao, and on top of that, Zheng Wei, a local detective, believes Joanna may have also killed a man named Leo Ping. She says she is innocent and has been framed, and in some ways, Zheng Wei believes her.
However, even if he thinks she could be innocent, he will only corroborate her story for a price, and she has two hours to either work with him or against him to nail a solid story as those who aren’t as affluent as Joanna call for justice, and potentially blood.
Character Descriptions
Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.
Joanna
After losing her mother, Joanna was an orphan, but thanks to positioning herself well and the support of Ming Hao, she rose in the social order. But now with marrying into one of China’s wealthiest families, so comes the question if she is willing to leave behind the man who supported her all this way. Never mind, how ruthless could she be to maintain her newly found privilege?
Ming Hao
An architect with some mental health issues, Ming Hao deeply loves Joanna but is coming to recognize she is moving on. But, whether he will let her go easily, fight for her, or threaten her with what he knows of her rise to being one of the richest women in China is up for questioning.
Zheng Wei
A local, small-time cop in need of money, Zheng Wei is for justice but can notably be swayed to bend the truth to Joanna’s will for the right price.
Leo Ping
A principal whose school has benefited from the charity of Joanna’s husband’s company, Leo Ping, met Joanna personally when she visited the school and again when she and Ming Hao wanted to buy land from him. However, his discovery of her affair with Ming Hao could threaten their relationship and her position, which makes him dangerous.
Review
Our Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing)
Highlights
Sometimes Bewildering Amount Of Twists & Turns
When it comes to the truth, as shown in “Monster,” a lot of the time, the truth is agreed upon and enforced by either the majority or those in power. In the case of “The Invisible Guest,” Joanna, with being the wife of one of China’s wealthiest men, has power – adjacent.
With that in mind, you can see she could both be a target and a perpetrator, and the film plays out the potential of both in ways that can make you want to take note of the few facts that don’t change throughout the story.
Joanna did end up at a hotel with Ming Hao, who is dead – fact. Ming Hao and Joanna knew each other since they were orphaned as kids, and had a relationship – fact. But, while some things aren’t disputed, what can be is how a third party could potentially kill Ming Hao if the door was locked from the inside. How would they escape when there would be witnesses? Never mind, what happened to Leo Ping, and are the murders connected?
Through every take, every spin, Zheng coming up with different ways to finesse more money out of Joanna for her protection, you are taken on a ride that might become a tad predictable at the end, but only enough for you to think you got it, not know for certain.
Recommendations
If you like this movie, we recommend:
- Monster: Also a movie that challenges what is a fact due to multiple perspectives
- Knives Out (Original or Sequel): A murder mystery film that is longer than it needs to be, but entertaining
- Leave The World Behind: A slowly enveloping mystery that may not have you think anyone starring is involved but is aware or capable of more than they let on.
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Discussion Items
Let us know your thoughts in the comments:
- With this being a remake of a film released originally in Spanish (Review of original here), comment below movies that were recently released but released in a different language you like.
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