Critics reviews

Chang’s oblique approach to the narrative is bewildering at first, but as the relationships and family history become clear, and a dash of magic is thrown in, the film becomes a mesmerizing fable of family love across time, with some of Chang’s most striking imagery and a first-rate performance from Leong, making her return to cinema after a decade in retirement.

With this deft, clear filmmaking that weaves serenely if not quite convincingly between the art-house and the multiplex, Murmur of the Hearts glows fine and full of characters who think and feel and whose storyteller treats them with intelligent, attentive empathy.

This fluid-but-conventional drama is the kind of movie that's carried mostly on the strength of its grace notes.

Sylvia Chang's newest film is the illustrious actress-director-writer-producer's best since Siao Yu (1995). Murmur of the Hearts is a sophisticated family drama whose emotional force sustains a narrative of ambitious power and range... Murmur of the Hearts' gorgeous cinematography and lush soundscape create a palpably beautiful environment of nostalgia, longing, and mystery where past, present, fantasy and reality mingle to impressive effect.

The film's structure is a little overcomplicated, but it makes its points about failed parenting and damaged lives with real emotional clout.

Set extensively on Taiwan's Lyudao, a prison island with strong metaphorical resonance, the film represents an impressive comeback for Macanese actress Isabella Leong with an engrossing emotional arc, though its magical-realist touches, including phantoms and mermaids, are a tad forced.