Bu Neng Shuo De. Mi Mi

Surprisingly good~ I was just expecting a decent delicate love story, Bu neng shuo de mi mi(Secret) didn't disappoint me on that, but there is much more - a beautiful thrilling fantasy film it is! The first half is full of witty romantic plots, they do occasionally seem a little gratuitous, but very entertaining indeed, more importantly,they have you absorbed into the atmosphere easily. And you would probably say to yourself, yeah it is an ordinary romance film with a delicate but predictable storyline.

Then, it proves you wrong in an amazing way. It keeps on bringing enjoyable surprises, bringing the film onto the next level. The dialog is not pretentious or overused, the story unfolds itself in a natural manner. And then you will realize it's not another ordinary feel-good romance.

Have to mention, the score produced by the Singer/Songwriter/Pianist/Actor director Jay Chou is outstanding and impressive, and really becomes an integral part of the film.

Fantastic.

I was pleasantly surprised after watching this film on DVD. While the premise of the story may not be entirely original (there are many who may compare it with Il Mare or its Hollywood remake - The Lake House), frankly speaking, the manner in which the plot unfolds is relatively engaging and has kept me glued to the screen from the opening credits to the closing credits.

The film, Secret, begins with Lun (played by Jay Chou, who also directed the film) being led by a mysterious and alluring piano piece to an old dilapidated room in his new school (Tamkang Secondary School). It was in this room where he meets Rain (played by the infectiously sweet Kwai Lun-Mei), who was responsible for playing the mysterious piano solo. This chance encounter would trigger the start of Lun and Rain's somewhat nebulous relationship, which would be 'put to the test' to an extent by another female student named Sky (which was played to perfection by the delightfully charming Tseng Kai-xuan).

Jay Chou had also taken this opportunity (and a great one as well – with music being centerpiece of this story) in his directorial debut to pay a small tribute to one of his favourite composers, Chopin, wherever possible. Apart from being described as a "gifted composer" in the film, Chopin's Waltz was also featured in the beautifully shot sequence of a "piano duel" – which was one of the highlights of the film.

Besides the storyline and music, the film's cinematography was decent as well. In short, it's a wonderfully packaged film with a plot formula that works.

(DVD Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars – definitely could have been a lot better. The "making of" video was disappointing with no guidance or insight on the making of the film and it was constantly interspersed with periods of continuous silence.)

I personally thought that the plot was rather exciting and intriguing. Jay Chou must definitely have put in much effort into making this movie. His first movie-making attempt is pretty much a success, I must say. He's even got very positive reviews and comments from award-winning directors from Asia.

Although the plot needed some thinking to be able to understand it fully, I thought this show was pretty original- a far cry from many other love stories produced. This love story was genuine and not like many other cliché stories you can find in the movie market. The actors and actresses put up remarkable jobs too. I personally feel that Jay Chou has made a great improvement with regards to his once-stagnant facial expressions. His co-star Guey Lun-mei's acting did not fail to impress too- for a neophyte selected by Jay Chou himself, her acting was breezy and natural.

The whole story is filled with love, passion for music and excellent piano pieces. My favorite parts were the piano battle, as well as the piano duet. I thought that Jay Chou's piano-playing was fabulous. He, indeed, lived up to his label as "musical genius".

Overall the movie was great. I watched it twice, and both times I still cried and laughed the same as before. Although I'm merely fifteen and hence my mentalities may be a cry away from some readers and movie-watchers here, I think that this show is one that you should catch. You will not regret it! :)

After watching the movie, you have to admit that Jay Chou is talented. I was bent on catching the show because one,I saw the movie trailer(when I was watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, that I thought was average but that comes under another thread) which really caught my attention,and two, I am a fan of Jay's music. His acting has received much flak, but this time round, one must say that his acting has improved (even though his character in the movie was basically he himself).

So, Jay stars as Ye Xiang Lun (anyone noticed that Jay, known for being very filial to his mum, took his mum's surname? Really sweet of him.)who is a new student at Tamkang High School. He meets Lu Xiao Yu (Guey Lun-mei) on the first day of school and the romance begins. The lengthy sequence of building up the romance was cloyingly sweet. Riding on bicycles, close contacts, apples!, sweet kisses, conversations that were shy and slightly flirtatious - Jay's fans would probably swoon and wish they were Guey Lun-mei, while others would probably feel their goosebumps popping up. Of course, romance always comes with a third party, who in the movie comes in the form of attractive Jing Yi.

Before you switch your minds off thinking this as just a film about high school romance, be assured that it is much more intelligent, the kind which makes you think back, ponder and oh! the puzzle fits together perfectly (think: Deathnote the movie) The twist comes at a very good time (perhaps a little too late for some), at the point when one starts to demand for reasons behind what is happening. The ultimate twist is more than what you can figure out, not a new idea, but one which makes complete sense in the movie and one which Jay worked on and brought to the climax - which would have you hoping for a happy ending.

The magic that Jay laid on the movie is one, the story, two, the piano and three, the characters.

The piano was awesome, brilliant, breathtaking, no doubt to showcase Jay's skills at tickling the ivories (which is mesmerizing!). The piano battle, the sweet practices together, the use of music in the film to convey feelings and vent the characters' built up emotions (think:anthony wong and jay in the movie) - they were really effective in helping one relate to the characters and fall in love with them.

The characters in the movie were well put together - bringing on the endearing moments which have you wishing you had someone like that (thnk: anthony wong as jay's father with those comical humorous moments and the brainless sidekicks (those two from the rugby team)) Guey Lun-mei shows off her acting chops as Xiaoyu, which was really believable and brings the character a lot more depth - the happiness, the confusion and the emotional pain, showing her acting skills to the mainstream audience(since she usually does art-house films) Not to mention Anthony Wong's portrayal as Jay's father which was so believable and so endearing, caring so much for his on-screen son that makes you hope for a happy ending for him as well, when the truth finally dawned upon him.

Overall, this movie was definitely worth the ticket and I believe more will be made to sit up and take notice of Jay's talents. It is refreshingly good and a movie that will remain on ons'e mind even after the show's ended. Do give the movie a chance and watch it (and bring your tissues! I used up quite a fair bit!)

1. familiar plot but with some refreshing elements.

2. beautiful piece of film score which are composed by Jay Chou and Terdsak Janpan .

3. surprisingly good acting by Guey Lun-mei (an adorable and charming girl with potential), great acting by Anthony Wong (such a versatile actor, no doubt), refreshing acting by Alice Tseng Kai-xuan (a girl who possesses sublime beauty and angelic smile) and fairly improved acting by Jay Chou (just being himself by acting cool as usual, i guess?)

4. fancy cinematography with good editing and compositing.

5. intermediate visual effects.

6. cool executed scenes to show off music talent.

7. a combination of sci-fi, comedy, mystery, youthful romance (although Jay looks a bit "mature") and probably horror? (the flashback and liquid paper parts really give me the creeps!)

8. some logical flaws. (eg. the desk in the classroom, get what i mean?)

9. flowing storyline with great atmosphere formed by the cool color theme used.

10. and of course, the director himself-Jay Chou, the Chinese pop icon and idol for many teenagers and young adults.

All of the main ingredients above could be found in "Secret". It's definitely worth your time to explore and reveal the secret by yourself or together with your beloved one. It's quite a touching tear jerker (but not as touching as Be With You, personal opinion...) Well, it might not be the cup of tea for everyone, but it is the bowl of soup for me!

Overall, 8 out of 10 for a freshman film director.

Recommend to all of those who believe in fate and love.