drags one through the bog of a monotone dialogue.

Fortunately, the 52 minute masterpiece is not all dialogue. Hoe approaches a vast cross-section of Asian culture and society.

From the modern doctor to the gay Pakistani, it's fairly obvious that everyone Hoe speaks with has something to get off their chest.

Jackie Chan gives a soulful reality check and said no one goes to his movies to see a romantic scene or meaningful dialogue.

"Even when I kiss, they want to see it funny,'' said Mr. Chan.

The film is much shorter than most sitcoms and unlike network television, one leaves the theatre with a certain clarity.

The film demands that viewers abstain from popular concepts and take a good, long second look.

However, the meaningful interviews are sometimes squashed by Hoe's rambling dialogue that forces one to switch off the projector with a sledge hammer.

Between the viewers mood swings of empathy and boredom, Hoe explained in an earlier film, he played a character called Albert Woo and it was during that production that he began to examine himself.

"I asked myself, Who is Albert Woo. Then I thought, Who is Hunt Hoe?'' he said.

At one point, Hoe speaks with an Asian lady who describes how women see the Asian man as dominating and sometimes inadequate even though she was dating Hoe at the time.

The next scene is this same lady's wedding to Hoe's caucasian cameramen.

Who is Albert Woo? challenges every concept about the Asian male -- from the mystique of the martial arts to rumours of sexual performance. And unlike any other film, this one mirrors Bermuda's own quest for national identity.

Jarion Richardson REVIEW REV BIFF MOVIES MPC