Co-writer/director Leon Lee and co-writer Michael Fine have made a timely thriller in Mind Wave. Things kick off when Clint (Harry Han), a Chinese ex-pat living in Canada, is arrested for allegedly hacking into the Chinese government’s “great firewall.“ He maintains his innocence and tells his story to the investigating officer, Inspector Roberts (Steve Thackray). Clint was forced to flee China when government officials wanted him arrested for supposedly illegal activity.
In Canada, Clint enrolls in university, where he and his professor, Dylan (Derek Green), get on quite well. This is also where he meets Sara (Liz Cha), who would become his wife. She gets a job with North Star Networks, and Clint is in cyber security. Then, one day, someone hacked the “great wall“ and the IP address led to Clint’s house. So why would a cyber security expert not hide his IP address? That means someone is framing Clint, but who is it, and why are they doing it? On that same idea, why did Sara just up and quit her job?
“…arrested for allegedly hacking into the Chinese government’s ‘great firewall.'”
Mind Wave works in fits and starts for its first 10 or 15 minutes. In part, this is because Cha is not very convincing as a loving, pregnant wife. Her delivery is dry, and she does not share much chemistry with Han. Later on, after certain plot twists, she improves significantly, conveying an unwavering dedication. As the narrative continues, she sells the curveballs well, but the romance remains to be unconvincing.
On the flip side, Han is excellent from start to finish. He’s good-natured and relatable, making Clint’s belief in free speech tangible. Thackray is also excellent as well, being a clever cop who wants justice. Lynn Xiong portrays the consul general and brings a mix of warmth and detachment that works completely.
Lee directs Mind Wave with panache, moving from one sequence to the other swiftly. No scene goes on too long, and each moment, even the unconvincing domestic moments, is necessary for the overall theme to work. Said themes of election interference, selling user data, and what constitutes actual free speech are and will always be relevant. As such, the message of the film will resonate with everyone, no matter where they’re from.
"…will resonate with everyone, no matter where they're from."
