"(ii)characterization ... despite the existence of a "lousy" father ... he is not "totally" bad ... all the characters have "depth/realism" written to them ... in essence, humans are contradictory/complex/weird ... we may not always do what we mean ... and we may not always choose what we know is correct ..."

One has to dig down deep to find something for Aaron Kwok's character. Chris Chang said that "you'll hate him; but you'll also feel his pain." I'm not sure if I felt his pain that much since he primarily inflicted it upon himself. The multi-faceted Kwok is apparently quite popular back home. He was good in parts but I think a better actor was required to play this difficult, albeit one-dimentional, role.

"Ng King-to (i.e., the kid) ... he only has more screen time in the second half ... in most scenes, he may come across as "plain" but that makes it realistic and highly credible as a typical kid (with little exaggerated expressions ... unlike many films that insist on kids exaggerated expressions) ... yup, he does have a few great scenes that may wrench your heart ... "

I agree that the young boy was very good. I believe this was Goum Ian Iskander's (Ng King-to) first film. 

"(iii) despite some predictability, there are some "surprises" in the script ..."

True. Also, the scenes set in the motel reminded me of 2046. I'm sure Mr. Tam is well familiar with that film.

"some editing to improve the pacing"

I agree. But speaking of editing, I was rather impressed with it during the torrid sex scenes. 

"pardon my insolence, but in my very humble opinion, one or two of the really "minor/supporting cast" could be better ..."

Would you mind being more specific?

"When the dialogues are in Cantonese, one would realize that they even spent the effort to script the language using Malaysian Cantonese (from their choice of words) ..."

They did. Most seem to be satisfied with the Malay influenced Cantonese spoken in the film.

"Highly Recommended. This is a film whereby watching till the end does pay off ... Occasionally it does feel a bit long ... and I am not sure whether "mainstream" audience will like it as much ... nonetheless, it does script human nature and human relationship very well and very realistically (esp. those lines delivered by aaron, so part of the credit shld go to the script writer ... ha ha ha) ..."

There's much to like about After This Our Exile. It'd be criminal not to mention the contribution of the great DP Mark Lee (a Hou favorite whose name changes with just about every film). The way he incorporates light and its varied textures is second to none. Cinematography factors into why I think this is an above-average film.

Do you know the reason(s) behind Patrick Tam's absence?