Review of Pali Road, directed by Jonathan Lim

I remember back in 2016, when I was in high school and had no money, I thought the only way to watch movies I wanted to see was to get iTunes gift cards for Christmas and then purchase them. It was something I devotedly did, and I remember for the longest time Pali Road was one of the movies I wanted.

No one I’ve ever met has heard of this movie except for me, but I knew I wanted to watch it back then because not only did it have Jackson Rathbone, the guy who played Jasper in Twilight, but the singer Michelle Chen was in it too.

Like come on, that combo seemed too good for high school me. Yet I never watched it because of the fact I never had any iTunes giftcards or the funds to acquire said movie. Imagine almost ten years later when I’m bored on a random Tuesday and avoiding doing my master’s thesis.

I opened up my Kanopy account, which our local library graciously gives us for free, and was shocked to see this movie on there. And did I watch it? Heck yeah, I was living out teenage me’s weird dream of seeing this movie.

Let’s get into the review.

After an accident, it’s like Lily’s boyfriend no longer exists to anyone around her.

Our main character in this movie is Lily, who is a successful young doctor preparing to potentially spend the rest of her life as a doctor on beautiful Hawai’i. We meet her boyfriend Neil, and see how happy these two are in their relationship.

At a gala event, we also meet Neil’s big rival: Mitch. Mitch is a fellow doctor with Lily, and Neil and Mitch do not get along at all. There are subtle vibes that Mitch also have a thing for Lily.

One day, her boyfriend decides to take her up to the top of a mountain, where he then proposes to her. However, Lily has to take a work call in the middle of the proposal, leading to an argument between the two about her priorities in life.

Things are about to drastically change when they get into a car accident on the way home at night, and when Lily wakes up from the traumatic event, she’s not in a familiar home.

She ventures out of the bed, and then realizes she’s in a home with Mitch, not Neil. She asks Mitch where Neil is, and he has no idea who she’s talking about. To add icing on this cake, a little boy comes up and hugs her, calling Lily his mother.

We are then left to question with Lily if everyone around her is in an elaborate hoax where they think Neil doesn’t exist. As Lily meets her best friend, she also has no recollection of Neil or who he was, and even when Lily stops at the school that Neil teaches at, it doesn’t exist either.

Mitch is also left questioning what happened to his supposed wife, and he eventually calls in Lily’s parents. As she increasingly questions everything around her, a police officer ends up getting involved as she breaks into a home that she thinks is the one that Neil once had—it’s not in this strange universe.

As more people begin to question her sanity, the movie twists and turns, forcing us to question everything as well. The ending on this one can be a bit confusing, as I found it to be quite open if we’re being honest. There are several different interpretations of it, including one involving brain trauma and false memories.

Overall Thoughts

Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of this movie. Although that open ending could land really well, this movie just doesn’t hit the thriller or psychological elements in the right way for me.

It felt a bit disjointed, if that makes sense? The acting was a bit off for me as well, especially when it came to Michelle Chen. She didn’t play the character convincingly enough, which led to even more doubt.

If you like the film though, great for you! Neither of us are wrong, as taste is subjective. I don’t think I will be returning to this one in the near future though.

Follow me below on Instagram and Goodreads for more.