Ru guo · Ai

I fell in love with the introductory analogy. Life is like the movies, in which you are the director, producer and the star. In your life, there are other co-stars, and of course, that significant other. But what if you happen not to be sharing the limelight in your other's life? Editing is always a pain, and in the final product, you will then learn if you are sharing the same billing, get relegated to a cameo, or in the worst case, get cut out entirely and lie on the floor of the editing room.

Similarly to my 2004 movie of the year, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this film too takes a look at the trying to forget someone in your life entirely. Except in this one, there is no faux-pas scientific methods, but done by sheer human will and pretense.

This is a musical within a musical, and a beautifully choreographed one at that. First thoughts will be, hey, it looks like Moulin Rouge, with big colourful sets, dancers, singers, stunts, and songs with meaningful lyrics. Yes, and given similar themes like Love and Hate, but Perhaps Love tells its own story. The soundtrack befits the musical, and I won't be surprised if anyone adapts this for the stage too.

Japanese heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro plays Lin Jian Dong, a struggling film student when he met his love in Beijing. When the film begins, he's already an accomplished actor, and chances upon that same love in his latest movie collaboration. He's not the least surprised at being given the cold shoulder, and goes all out to try and win her back. But exactly what his motivations are - love, revenge, closure, that one pleasure filled fling, remained to be seen.

Much is said about his ability to sing (or lack thereof), but I felt that he sang convincingly in this movie, and fleshed out his role as the pained lover realistically. When his final intentions are revealed, you can't help but to emphatise - yes, that perhaps what he did was justified.

Contrasting Kaneshiro's character is Jackie Cheung's Nie Wen, the auteur director with his mood swings. His current lover and muse is Jian Dong's love in Beijing, and he comes to discover this fact after filming begins. He feels cheated upon, hurt, and channels his raw emotions onto the film. There should be no doubt as to Cheung's singing prowess - powerful is the one word summed up, though I thought it's always the same song? Between the two male leads, his is surprisingly magnanimous, and shows true courage as compared to Jian Dong.

Chinese actress Zhao Xun plays Sun Na, the woman caught between the two men. One is her lover in a past she wants to forget, while the other is her lover who brought her stardom in the present world. It's a highly complicated-in-emotions role, one which explores, and for those in love, might have felt in one way, or at some points in time. When you feel your love is holding you back, would you give it all up to pursue your dreams? Sun Na is one such woman, who will stop at absolutely no cost, and jump on every available opportunity presented, to seek fame and fortune. And it is she who walked out of Jian Dong's life at least twice, to be with an American director, and later, with Jian Dong's assistant director friend, before we currently see her in the present.

Ignoring Jian Dong when they meet in their new film, she can't help but feel her icy walls being broken down by his persistence, though Jian Dong had assistance from Korean Jin Ji-hee's role as Montage, a spirit who interacts with all characters and weaves in and out of the plot, bringing about a feel that there's always that higher being involved in events that unfold in life.

And the way the characters interact is probably fused so seamlessly into the musical, within the musical. Unable to express themselves freely, they do so through the musical's story, premise, and lines. It doesn't feel contrived, but the entire narrative seemed flawless. Even the flashbacks doesn't mar the pacing of the film, but brings about a natural progression and revelation of character development and events.

Perhaps Love is a truly wonderful experience, especially for those who have been in the same ship before. Its ending isn't typical, but one which perhaps is the most realistic an ending can be for the characters involved. Peter Chan has crafted a beautiful masterpiece of a musical for the Hong Kong film industry. Catch this on the big screen before its run is over!

This movie is a stunning masterpiece that showcases a whole new versatility for Asian Cinema. It takes the brash exuberance of Moulin Rouge, the musical-bizaro world of Cirque du Soleil, the color palate of Amelie and ratchets up the imagery and the volume to achieve new heights in cinematography. Farah Kahn leaps to the top of the list of my favorite choreographers of this new century. Easily some of the smoothest vocalists of China's pop and ballad scene have been assembled plus a handful of triple-threat actors weigh in to truly pull off this brave work. This is a beautiful film and my favorite foreign film of the new year.

This is a splendid film about the lost of love, the memory of love, the pursuit of love, and the truth of love. It tells a triangle love story. What I like about this film is not how touching the triangle love is, but how touching this story is told.

It's directed by a famous Hong Kong's director Peter Chan, and staring by the handsome Takeshi Kaneshiro ("House of Flying Daggers," "Turn Left Turn Right"), the talented Zhou Xun ("The Little Chinese Seamstress," "Beijing Bicycle"), the remarkable singer and actor Jacky Cheung, and the Korean heartthrob Ji Jin-hee.

Ten years ago, in Beijing, a Hong Kong film student Lin Jian-dong (Takeshi Kaneshiro) fell in love with an energetic girl Sun Na (Zhou Xun). Sun Na left Jian-dong to pursue her dream to be a movie star, leaving Jian-dong devastated. Ten years later, both of them become big movie stars and their paths cross again when they co-star in a musical. However, the musical's director Nie Wen (Jacky Cheung) also loves Sun Na. Will the old love prevail or will it simply break more hearts? At the beginning, when the music and dancing started, I thought this film is another Hollywood style cheesy musical. I am not a big musical fan, so I got a little worried. That concern quickly disappeared because the heart wrenching story and the marvelous performance settled inside me, deeply. The music and the songs actually move me profoundly. The film brilliantly blends together the musical which two lead characters are filming and the movie itself. The characters are enacting their love affairs through the musical they are playing.

I am glad that Takeshi Kaneshiro speaks perfect Chinese in the film, not like how Zhang Ziyi speaks English in "Memoirs of a Geisha." Heck, even Ji Jin-hee speaks darn good Chinese (perhaps dubbed).

I shed so many tears together with those characters during the screening of this film. I wonder why. Perhaps, love?

I love this movie.

First of all, please do not compare it to Moulin Rouge. Yes, it's opening made it look like a boring musical, but actually the singing and dancing are just eye candies for the audience. The love story presented is simple. I don't even think it as a romance movie. I think of it more as a drama about love more. I guess the reason I felt this way is because I watched the Chinese version (better communication compared to English sub.) and I was in a situation that questioning my own love life. This movie gave me another perspective looking at love relationship.

Don't you feel related to any one of them, or part of? How many of us really have something true? Why do you think Sun Na and Lin Jian Dong still break up at the end of movie? Answers can be diverse and it all depends on your own experience. Yes, Sun Na was once Jian Dong's true love. She messed it up. He loved her ten years ago and still presently, but more complicated with hatred, revenge. There is no way they will be together any more.

It looks like the movie is talking about a love triangle, but I think it's talking about love in general. I relate it to real life. People can be running away not just from poverty, they can be running away from a bad love relationship, bad family relationship to start a new love relationship. How many of us had relationship like Sun Na and Nie Wen's? (Gain from each other's strength, not necessary in a bad intention.) I bet there are a lot.

Anyway, the movie is beautiful. Zhou Xun has always been great. Takeshi did a good job in this film surprisly. Director Chan, I'm waiting for your next great work! No pressure :) When I got time, I will write more.

See you.

It's really wonderful to see such an emotional film so beautifully executed. I thought that this film has the eye-candy of Molin Rouge but with a far more convincing performance from all of the actors involved. There literally isn't a weak link in the chain, and I think it really is very original and genre defying, and refreshing to see such a gorgeous film come out of Asian cinema that's not a kungfu film. It's too bad that the buzz for this film hasn't really started in the states, but I'm hoping that more people will hear about it. It's soooo much better than Seven Swords or Anything "Asian" that Hollywood has served up recently. And far more entertaining.