The Hunt (2025)

A very sad and beautiful drama

Everyone's lives are like glutinous rice balls
Made by children's hands
Maybe they didn't even wash their hands
And some dirt got kneaded in
There's no black or white
It's just a grey rice ball

The quotation already tells you that you can expect this drama to be extraordinary in every way. It's how the FL explains herself and her life to the police officers after her husband has gone missing (presumed murdered). I had to write up the line bc it was so striking and describes the essence of the drama. We get a lot of bad and unfortunate things happening to basically ordinary good people. As the male lead says in the police interrogation: "After all all we were just the balls in the football game played by gods."

The drama starts with a discovery of a severed bloody earlobe clogging the toilet in an run down apartment building.
We get a murder investigation, but the essence of the drama is with the deep back stories of the main characters, a found family of 3 friends. A young girl who runs away from an abusive older husband, and makes a new life for herself in the city. The male characters, bonded as brothers since they were kids, are small time criminals who also have to run away from their troubles to the city. The 3 form a strong friendship. Except maybe not. When kids are involved, parents will become tigers.

As in some other Light On dramas, we get a lot of unreliable storytelling. The plot twists are simply awesome. I didn't feel confused with the changing time lines and settings (mixing different timelines is also typical for Light On dramas).

This drama is definitely not for the ones who like their dramas light and fluffy. It's a very sad but a very beautiful drama. I really wanted to have a word with the writer, director and cinematographer: howcome you made something this magnificent?

This drama is a masterpiece in terms of storytelling, characters, acting and cinematography. Even the theme song is very unusual: simple and raw, like punk rock, but painfully sad. But didn't find the drama depressing. There's so much empathy in it for its characters.

The actors are all great in their roles, Teresa Li as the female lead, we really feel her feelings. How she portrays Wu Xi Mei at her bubbliest in her best days, and as the worn down tired mother, is simply awesome. Hung Xuan's acting is impressive to the max, award-worthy. Bai Yu Fan is also very good.

After having finished the drama, it's not easy to let go of it. I keep remembering the song and cinematographic scenes. Deeply impressed.

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