As savagely satirical as it is gorgeously surreal, "The Great Buddha+" is something else again - an outrageous, poignant punk Taiwanese black comedy marking the feature arrival of fresh filmmaking talent Huang Hsin-Yao.

Which may sound good, but 'The Great Buddha+' is one of those movies that's much more rewarding to think about than it is to watch.

Most importantly, the pic gets laughs out of the class system without being glib about its cruelties. The gulf between rich and poor clearly matters to Huang, who poignantly shows how poverty robs even the dead of dignity.

Huang Hsin-yao's wry social comedy and Golden Horse multi-award-winner...