By Dennis Hartley

Hong Kong director Tommy Ng Kai Chung’s animated fantasy is an epic tale of the venerable “heaven can wait” variety (with musings on reincarnation). A young girl, unaware that she has crossed over into the afterlife, meets a spiritual guide who somewhat reluctantly flouts the restrictions of his assigned duties in order to help her find her lost brother. In the interim, suffice it to say that (to shamelessly paraphrase Yoda) she may only find what she takes with her.

This one’s not necessarily for the kids; as it deals with the darker sides of human nature, specifically with our propensity to repeat the same self-destructive behaviors for time immemorial (then again…they’ve got to learn sometime, right?). Intense and immersive.