Film Review: Pierce (2024) by Nelicia Low

Low uses her knowledge from the past to build a strong, unsettling thriller

When it comes to fencing which becomes the central stage of the plot in her dark debut feature, the psycho-drama “Pierce” set in Taipei, Singaporean director Nelicia Low knows what she is talking about. The former member of the Singaporean fencing team who was competing for her country doesn’t need the electrically conductive lamé to score points in this game of psychological duelling between estranged brothers, as she knows very well that tactics and control mean everything in this sport where faces are hidden behind a mask. Low uses her knowledge from the past to build a strong, unsettling thriller about unconditional love and treachery, about the destructive, manipulative, and unpredictable nature of a sociopath who can and does fool the environment into giving him a second chance, due to his mastery in tactics. But, the first-time director was also inspired by a big tragedy that shook Taipei in 2014, when a young man stabbed multiple people on the subway. While his parents immediately denounced him publicly, his younger brother stood by his side, in denial of what happened.

“Pierce” opens with a scene of a child drowning in the river in front of his mother’s eyes. As the woman repeatedly screams the boy’s name in agony, we see an arm pulling his almost lifeless body out of the water. We are officially introduced to much younger versions of brothers Zijie (Hsiu-Fu Liu) and Zihang (Yu-Ning Tsao) through one traumatic experience that will mark their lives.

Years flash forward, the younger brother Zijie is already a college student about to enter the official fencing team, and his older brother – a triple sabre champion of Taiwan – serves time for killing an opponent with a broken blade during a competition match. Unlike his mother, Zijie can’t wait to reunite with Zihang whom he considers innocent, and no matter what he is told about the dark side of his brother’s nature, he decides not to listen to it. When the news about Zihang’s early release from the juvenile prison reaches him, Zijie is filled with joy. He starts seeing his brother in secrecy, careful their mother doesn’t find out about it.

To help him, he even commits theft to provide for his older brother’s residency in Taipei, and in return, Zihang trains him in fencing which results in an almost immediate improvement of the boy’s technique and skills. He even gets selected to compete at the upcoming National Championships.

One of the strongest assets of “Pierce” is its cast. Hsiu-Fu Liu and Yu-Ning Tsao are great in their roles of two brothers completely different by nature and the goodness of their hearts. When Tsao’s face makes a little boy in the movie cry, we feel with the kiddo. He channels the psychopath with a blood-chilling genuineness, while Liu’s innocent big eyes tell us exactly the opposite. The character build-up in “Pierce” is generally finely done, with the right dose of emotional investment. Over the top is only the very end of the movie, with its final scene being a dash predictable and unnecessary. Interestingly, Zihang’s character was partly inspired by the biography of Ted Bundy’s long-term ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall who saw something good in him and was always wondering why he hadn’t killed her when he had so many chances to do it. Likewise, there is another real-life story of a psychopathic child who saved his younger brother from drowning which added to his character. Those moments between the complete dominance of mental disorder over Zihang, and the recurring waves of love for his brother are directed with a surprisingly sure hand.

“Pierce” is also laced with two love stories that never have a chance of fully developing due to the extreme chain of events. One of them is between Zijie and his teammate. Both young men are timid and new to the dating game, but they are barely given a chance to properly bond before the first competition that is supposed to catapult, ruins Zije’s life forever. The other romance is between the boys’ mother and a caring, but naive and conservative man of her age, who is unsuspecting of the family secret.

The drama co-produced between Singapore, Taiwan and Poland world premiered in the Crystal Globe Competition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it brought the Best Director Award to Nelicia Low.