Mei li ren sheng

We did a double take when we first read that Andrew Lau's next project after the martial arts vigilante flick "The Legend of Chen Zhen" was a romantic drama between two unlikely individuals with a melodramatic twist. After all, this is the director of hard-boiled crime thrillers like "Infernal Affairs" and "Young and Dangerous", whose occasional foray out of his comfort zone has only been to the relatively safe rom- com territory (i.e. the Andy Lau-Shu Qi romance "Look For A Star").

But with a distinct change in genre, Andrew Lau has cemented his reputation as one of the best contemporary directors in Hong Kong- because this drama is not only warm and engaging, it is also exceptionally moving. Indeed, it is probably one of the most heartfelt films you'll see this year, a resounding affirmation of the strength and the courage true love gives to its beholder, and the more sentimental viewers among us will best be advised to get their Kleenexes ready.

Turning once again to his favourite leading lady, Andrew Lau casts Shu Qi in the role of Li Peiru, a young and ambitious real estate agent from Hong Kong in the city of Beijing trying to strike it rich. She meets the honest and principled local policeman Fang Zhendong (Liu Ye) one night while entertaining her potential clients at a karaoke bar, and despite his best efforts to shake her off, Zhendong ends up taking the intoxicated Peiru home and putting her in bed.

They meet again through a series of handy coincidences, and the straight-laced cop quickly but surely finds himself falling for Peiru- even though she is in a torturous relationship with a married man. Zhendong is the characteristic lonely soul yearning for companionship, his first responsibility towards his younger autistic brother Zhencong (Tian Liang) leaving him with little time and energy to socialise and meet new friends. Their mutual affections aren't contrived- underneath her veneer of confidence lies an equally lonely heart searching for true love- and Zhendong recognises it even before Peiru does.

For the first hour, Tang Kit Ming's (who also wrote "Look For A Star") screenplay lays bare the depth of Zhendong's love for Peiru- Zhendong cooks for her, cleans up after her drunken stupors, and even agrees to spy on her boyfriend to make sure he isn't cheating on her with another mistress (he is). But the real test of his love for her comes after her fall from grace- she loses her job, has to downgrade from her swanky apartment to a much smaller place, and asks to borrow money to start her own business. Kit Ming's script isn't afraid to let them fall in love in less than typical adorable rom-com fashion, and it is through his characters' day-to-day real-life struggles that we empathise with them even more.

Of course, much of the empathy the film generates is due to the endearing performances by both Liu Ye and Shu Qi. While it is probably no stretch for her playing the teasing flirtatious Peiru at the start of the film, it is her character's subsequent downfall that proves truly interesting to watch. These later scenes bring out an unexpected nuance in Shu Qi's acting, and the most remarkable of these is a single uninterrupted hand-held shot in an alleyway where her character reveals her deeply heartfelt plight- she has to earn money to help support her debt-saddled family back in Hong Kong. Liu Ye's intense down-to-earth performance is an excellent complement against Shu Qi, and the two evince an easygoing chemistry that will win you over effortlessly.

The strength of their combined performances is also a huge reason why the second half of the film anchored by a melodramatic twist turns out affecting and poignant, especially in its portrayal of the reciprocal nature of true love. This latter half also contains perhaps the most touching sequence in the film, one which speaks volumes about Zhendong's love for Peiru and his efforts to love Peiru to the best of his abilities in spite of his frailties. Lau tries to top this with an even more emotionally wraught climax, but can't escape the obvious contrivances of its plotting.

Yet that doesn't distract from an otherwise perfectly crafted film, a tearjerker if you will, that reminds us of the inherent desire within each and every one of us for company and companionship, and the lengths to which true love will give us the strength and willpower to go to. What is a beautiful life? It is a life lived fully in true love, perfectly embodied here in that between Zhendong and Peiru.

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A total Waste of talent and money and wasted my 2 hours to watch this cringy and cliche content. I can understand why the producer and director were same. Writing was so inconsistent. Total mess.

This film is all heart. A policeman rescues a drunk real estate agent who is drop dead gorgeous and takes her home. He stands by her throughout the film despite her sometimes ignoring how good he is to her. The message is anti-materialism and shows there might be hope for china before they follow our path to decline in the USA. He is good to everyone in his life and at work, but tragedy keeps falling on him, but he does not give up hope. He takes care of his little brother. The photography is very well done and the actors are top rate. It has been nominated for Hong Kong Movie awards and should be nominated for best foreign picture if Harvey Weinstein does not promote the Intouchables through the roof.

This is the story of how a greedy and shallow woman is transformed by love. In order to appreciate this movie, you have to get past the first part, where actress Shu Qi plays a very unlikable character, who uses her policeman friend to clean up her messes with no regard for his feelings. If you can persevere through that, she eventually realizes that her former life is worthless, and that he is the only one worth caring about. Then the film becomes a beautiful love story. Shu Qi does a great acting job in this movie. Watch for the scene where she is drunk walking down an alley. It's a long scene done as a single shot. If you're going to watch this movie, watch it until the end. It's worth it.

Wonderful movie, I watched it knowing not what to expect. The first hour has a different tone from the second one, but they both complement each other in a beautiful way. What is really lovely is that one of the characters changes for better, and it is a real, deep change, rarely portraited efficiently on screen. The photography is stunning, the soundtrack is beautiful and the actors did a wonderful job. Netflix is allowing me to discover these wonderful and heartfelt movies.

Nothing much left to write, except that it was a great experience and that I will recommend this movie to everyone! Beautiful!