Been watching Halfworlds on HBO because it is an ASEAN product. I love the direction, the cinematography, and the lighting. It is also exceptional for its deliberately slow pacing and its mysteriously shadowed and hushed scenes. It has two flaws, I feel. One is that the illustrations and sketches are too "Fine Arts" and look like commissioned works. The other is that the screenplay writers apparently do not THINK in English, and so, much of the dialogue comes across as trite, awkward translations. As a result, even the acting of the performers, who are all highly competent, is hampered.

Truth is always diminished in translation.