Silent Witness

Actors Sun Honglei (L) and Aaron Kwok act boxing at the premiere of movie "Silent Witness" in Beijing, China, Sept 11, 2013. The movie will be screened across the country on Sept 13.[Photo/Xinhua]

Half courtroom drama, half suspense, this study in genre filmmaking is tautly woven but based on an imaginary legal framework. In other words, it is not realistic, but is built on an assumption. Once you accept that, you'll be able to enjoy the twists in the plot and the motivations of every character.

The teenager daughter of a rich businessman is widely suspected of killing her father's pop-singer girlfriend. The truth peels off one layer at a time, until we come face to face with the possibility that there is a bigger power at play than law, something that touches us in fundamental ways. The three leads deliver immaculate performances and writer-director Fei Xing exhibits a maturity that belies his newcomer status.