The Taiwanese film stars Jing Hua-tseng, Ivy Shao, Lu Yi-ching, Tsai Hsing-chang, Jia Yin-tsai, Chun Hao-hung, Bai Jing-yi and others.
It is a remake of the 2010 Korean film of the same name. The 2023 film on Netflix is directed by Hsieh Pei-ju. The runtime is 1 hour 43 minutes.
Ah Wei, a lonely and unhappy young man, decides to end his life due to loneliness. However, all of his suicide attempts keep failing. After his last attempt, Wei gets admitted to the hospital, but he returns with lots of ghosts. Thankfully, not from the past! From kids to elderly people, these ghosts don’t leave Wei alone, not even for a minute.
The concept of the dead teaching the alive and depressed what life means is endearing and powerful.
When Ah Wei decides to harm himself, he thinks about how he’s all alone, especially during the festival season. It’s a familiar feeling for many. It’s a sadness or realisation that hits many every year.
The first 10 minutes are dark, but everything after that feels hopeful. The ghosts don’t entirely help Ah Wei to rediscover the meaning of life. They only serve as a catalyst.
Whether it’s understanding himself better or pushing himself to build new connections, especially romantic ones, Ah Wei takes all the risks he didn’t take earlier. The person he was before and the person he transforms into in the next hour are completely contrasting.
Hello Ghost on Netflix will keep you engaged and amused with the banter between Ah Wei and these ghosts.
Tseng Jing-hua is remarkable throughout as Xu Chen Wei/Ah Wei, a man of complex emotions, moods, and vulnerabilities.