by Charles Kirkland Jr.
After a brutal attack, Chet finds himself in a quest for a long-forgotten style of fighting that will help him
overcome in Inexternal.
Chet has been badly beaten and left for dead. While he is in a coma, Chet finds himself in a fantastical
martial arts world. With the help of Sifu Turtle, Chet must master an ancient form of Burmese boxing to
defeat a powerful villain. However, Chet’s fate in the dream world is actually in the hands of his mother
in the real world.
Written and directed by Kim-Wai Yuen (Heaven In the Dark), Inexternal stars Angus Yeung, Catherine
Chau, Louis Cheung, Macy Ma and On-On Yu.
The best films of Kim-Wai Yuen have an undeniable spirituality to them. In Heaven In the Dark, the lines
between religious duty and romance are tested as a woman sues a spiritual leader after a passionate
kiss. In this film, the definition of life and the battle for it in the realms outside this world are put into
focus. Yuen challenges the existence of the afterworld (or in-between world) and what happens within
it in this film.
The battle for life is exemplified by a sincere quest for skill and the need to overcome enemies in a
seemingly realistic world that the viewers come to see as a dream world. In this dreamy battle world,
Yuen captures some intense mystical action scenes worthy of any of the great action films appearing at
TIFF this year. Simultaneously, there is a dramatic story that appears in the real world focusing on the
fight Chet’s mother faces to keep him alive. The real drama is when the two worlds begin to collide,
fusing themselves in a fight for survival.
Inexternal is an inventive spiritual journey that mixes fantastic martial arts action with sincere emotional
drama. The concept seems original and well-executed. This is not a film to miss.
Grade: B