A radical - and bloody - solution to the property trap...

"Although brutal and unnervingly realistic at times, Dream Home is full of inventive deaths and comical touches..."

Acclaimed Hong Kong Director, Pang-Ho-Cheung picked up film festival awards for 2006's Isabella and 2007's Exodus and after a three year break returns with the comically gory and socially relevant, Dream Home.

Struggling to survive and desperate to live at Victoria Place overlooking the harbour, Sheung works in Jetways bank and has a second store job. Supporting her ex-builder father (who inhaled asbestos and now needs expensive medical treatment and life insurance) isn't easy when he's so ungrateful and smoking/drinking away any chance of survival. With her mother dead and her brother dependent, Sheung's only support is an unsympathetic cheap-skate lover with his own family.

The government in Hong Kong have formed an alliance with property developers causing widespread unrest. Surrounded by signs of despair, Sheung's situation is clearly not unique - house prices have risen 15%, scenes of high-rise poverty are depicted, there are demonstrations with participants holding signs demanding “down with the government” and hunger strikes over old tower block demolitions.

When Sheung is told she can't get a mortgage, desperate measures are needed to secure the flat she wants. Compromising her family loyalty, she is so close to getting her dream home - but the sellers suddenly change their mind, and Sheung decides that playing dirty might just be the only solution. If following standard procedures and working 24/7 won't get her that ideal home, she'll just have to lower the property's value...

Dream Home is blood-drenched from the outset, with the painful eye-popping precursor to the opening credits. It's actually uncomfortable to watch the pleading eyes of Sheung's first victim as he frantically saws into his own neck to halt his strangulation. Twelve deaths on and there's plenty of graphic maiming and heightened blood-draining noises while Sheung continues to coolly survey the carnage with one determined goal in mind.

Although brutal and unnervingly realistic at times, Dream Home is full of inventive deaths and comical touches - horrible sex-slapping noises and “lucky in love” pants detract from possibly the most shocking scene; a pregnant woman is bound and vacuum-packed to death. One cocky teen attempts death by leaf-smoking a joint with his intestines hanging out, and comically complains: “Shit  - it's gone out.”.

Flashbacks to Sheung's childhood afford perhaps the most humorously surreal scene involving a cutesy phone conversation with cups and the signature sign off “arsehole”. Even more serious issues are played for laughs like the hints of Hong Kong's seedy nightlife - when Sheung meets her “lover” in an hourly hotel every TV channel seems to show porn. And of course characters occasionally rather inexplicably randomly lapse into English: “What's up bitch?”.

Jumping about in time with flashbacks to 1991, 1997, 1999 and 2004, Dream Home is at times a little hard to follow, and lacks character depth. Although the cast give strong performances, unlikable characters make it hard to feel their pain, however gruesome their demise, and it's also difficult to root for a characterless hero dealt a series of bad hands.

Dream Home is an Asian Falling Down, subtly blending comedy and reality. Sheung must choose between family loyalty or her independence and following the dream.

As viewers, we're told: “In a crazy city if one is to survive he's got to be more crazy,” Dream Home suggests that it's the city that'll make you crazy. Perhaps not the best tourist advertisement for Hong Kong but certainly an enjoyable appetizer for newcomers to Hong Kong cinema.

Director: Pang Ho-Cheung
Writer: Pang Ho-Cheung, Derek Tsang, Jimmy Wan
Release Date: November 12 2010
Running Time: 96 mins
Certificate: 18
Starring: Josie Ho, Eason Chan, Derek Tsang, Lawrence Chou, Juno Mak, Michelle Ye

We currently have no release information for Dream Home.

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