In His Chart

In His Chart starts off slowly and almost fall off its own rails, before smashing all the right buttons to engage the audience and finishes extremely strongly. Such is the pacing of the film, but once it grips you, it is likely to stay with you. The film talks about a relevant dilemma that all young medical professionals will eventually face – a decision about which direction to take. In a way it is relevant to everyone, as working life is universal and every career choices we make will ultimately question ourselves about whether to follow your passion and heart or the wiser and more successful choice. Director Yoshihiro Fukagawa deals with the notion of loss, life and hope in the most simplistic fashion and while Aoi Miyazak is competent in her role as the young doctor's wife, one would have thought that a little more insight or development into her character would certainly enhances the film. Still, there is a lot of smile about this film, as it does eventually engages you, affect you and touches you. It is a kind of film that grows onto you and before you realise it, you have already bury yourself into it. If you can ignore the at times uneven and slow pacing, In His Chart is extremely well-meaning and warms to the audience by finishing strongly. It is by no means a perfect endeavour, but as film that provides an insight into the stress, the difficulty of constantly dealing with loss in the medical profession, In His Chart does well and could have been a lot worse…

Neo rates it 7.5/10

• www.thehkneo.com