At first, I wasn't clear about what happened at the start, then, clarity formed closer to the end of the movie when parts of the plot started tying up, and finally, got confused again by the ending. I must confess that I initially thought the ending botched the entire movie, sort of anti-climatic (much like The Myth, when Jackie Chan refused to acknowledged his past, making the entire movie a scam)
Then, I started reading about the main actor (Chin Siu-Ho's) real-life issues, and using his issues, relooked at the movie in its entirety, and finally, I understood the movie and how it ended. Bear in mind, that my interpretation is perhaps but 1 perspective of the movie. Someone else could have a different view. However, I must say that this movie is complicated so much so that anyone who goes to watch this without (1) an understanding of Chinese folklore, (2) understanding that the actor is acting as himself and (3) understanding a bit of the actor's past, may think the movie is really bad and would give a bad rating on IMDb.
All said, here's my SPOILER ALERT. I will be commenting on the ending now.
The ending seems to be an alternate reality, where every character has a different path, and the main lead died by hanging, without any ghosts, or vampires appearing. It seems pretty mundane, death is also mundane (no great sacrifice, no dying with a cause).
And yet, that's where the gist of the ending is. Whereas in the 1st death, where the lead lay dying after a major combat with the vampire-ghost, the final scene was just a boring "he hung himself"
When you looked into the real-life history of the main actor, he had issues, he was a rather successful actor in his hey-day, when vampire movies were extremely popular, and he had lots of movies to work on. Later, as interest in vampire movies die down, he began to have less work, having to work backstage, his career going downhill, and also his divorce with his wife. Chinese have a saying, that "Real-life is like a movie, and movie is like real-life", thus they can become murky and muddled up for an actor.
The movie thus, in my view, is deliberately murky and muddled, with the majority of the movie reflecting upon the movie aspect of the actor's life, and the ending reflecting upon the real-life aspect of the actor's life, that despite how a movie can be dramatic, life is just mundane.
Also, that the movie-aspect and the mundane-aspect of the movie seemingly happening at the same time (both started with his moving into the apartment, and both ending with him dying) reflects upon the double life an actor lives (the movie aspect, and the real-life aspect) In the end, his 1st death may be representative of his wanting to leave showbiz on a high note, and his final ending death may be representative of his willingness to accept reality, that leaving on a high note will not happen, and to let go of his past and look towards the future.
I view the final scene, when his son came to identify his body, as a representation that he is putting his past to rest, and embracing his future with his family.
Anyway, that's my interpretation. All in all, a movie with complexity, not just a pure horror movie. Quite a good one in my opinion, so 8/10 for me.
Then, I started reading about the main actor (Chin Siu-Ho's) real-life issues, and using his issues, relooked at the movie in its entirety, and finally, I understood the movie and how it ended. Bear in mind, that my interpretation is perhaps but 1 perspective of the movie. Someone else could have a different view. However, I must say that this movie is complicated so much so that anyone who goes to watch this without (1) an understanding of Chinese folklore, (2) understanding that the actor is acting as himself and (3) understanding a bit of the actor's past, may think the movie is really bad and would give a bad rating on IMDb.
All said, here's my SPOILER ALERT. I will be commenting on the ending now.
The ending seems to be an alternate reality, where every character has a different path, and the main lead died by hanging, without any ghosts, or vampires appearing. It seems pretty mundane, death is also mundane (no great sacrifice, no dying with a cause).
And yet, that's where the gist of the ending is. Whereas in the 1st death, where the lead lay dying after a major combat with the vampire-ghost, the final scene was just a boring "he hung himself"
When you looked into the real-life history of the main actor, he had issues, he was a rather successful actor in his hey-day, when vampire movies were extremely popular, and he had lots of movies to work on. Later, as interest in vampire movies die down, he began to have less work, having to work backstage, his career going downhill, and also his divorce with his wife. Chinese have a saying, that "Real-life is like a movie, and movie is like real-life", thus they can become murky and muddled up for an actor.
The movie thus, in my view, is deliberately murky and muddled, with the majority of the movie reflecting upon the movie aspect of the actor's life, and the ending reflecting upon the real-life aspect of the actor's life, that despite how a movie can be dramatic, life is just mundane.
Also, that the movie-aspect and the mundane-aspect of the movie seemingly happening at the same time (both started with his moving into the apartment, and both ending with him dying) reflects upon the double life an actor lives (the movie aspect, and the real-life aspect) In the end, his 1st death may be representative of his wanting to leave showbiz on a high note, and his final ending death may be representative of his willingness to accept reality, that leaving on a high note will not happen, and to let go of his past and look towards the future.
I view the final scene, when his son came to identify his body, as a representation that he is putting his past to rest, and embracing his future with his family.
Anyway, that's my interpretation. All in all, a movie with complexity, not just a pure horror movie. Quite a good one in my opinion, so 8/10 for me.