A young fencer wrestles with conflicting loyalties towards his mother and older brother in Singaporean filmmaker Nelicia Low’s visually arresting yet dramatically wayward feature film debut.

Low is a former national fencer herself, and her Taiwan-set psychological drama displays a keen attention to detail when it comes to the sport, juxtaposing deftly choreographed strikes and lunges with the struggles of the film’s adolescent protagonist.

Yet Pierce’s bold visuals and unique setting cannot hide glaring weaknesses in Low’s overly melodramatic script.

Read my full South China Morning Post review here