The Story of 90 Coins

The Story of 90 Coins (2015) provides an in-depth view into a relationship of a young couple over the course 90 days and beyond. I am not a huge fan of standard romances, but I found the story to be extremely gripping. In addition, it is amazing how much of the storyline was conveyed in just 10 minutes. In addition, performances of the lead actors (Dongjun Han and Zhuang Zhiqi) as well as cinematography were simply spot on. We definitely need more dramas like this one!

This film may be short but it is nonetheless an engaging production created by an art-director-turned-filmmaker Michael Wong. In a lot of ways, it reminded me about Shunji Iwai's Love Letter from 1995.

The Story of 90 Coins is made for those who have loved and lost. The story is simple but what elevates this short film is the aesthetic quality of its cinematography. Colour grading is crisp and beautifully balanced. The liberal use of shallow depth of field creating bokeh effects greatly enhances the romantic mood to showcase the pair of attractive lead actors. Who knew heartbreak could look this beautiful?

The gorgeous visuals also add an element of wishfulness to the narrative. Much of what we see comprises of flashbacks. Memories of a lost love and missed opportunities are invariably tinged with melancholy and sentimentality, which is why I think this style of filming works best in this instance. Kudos to the director, DoP and team.

I discovered this film via Messenger and was contacted by the director of the film Michael Wong. So he asked me to watch and review his short film, and as always I'm a man of my word. This is a foreign film and a tragic love story. I won't spoil anything in case you're curious enough to watch it. Firstly, the acting is very well done, I can feel the genuine love the characters have for each other. The direction is good, sometimes the film felt unbalanced however, but I like the story Mr. Wong wants to tell. The conflict between the characters due to a misunderstanding make this very relatable especially to any former or current couples. If you like a solid romantic film, this one is worth checking out. 7/10

Remember those stories that your elders used to read for you when you were a kid, which always ended with a message that you were not supposed to forget? The Story Of 90 Coins has the same feel. It looks like a story book with characters that move. It has a dreamy feel to it. Since the story is short, I will not get into the details.

If you are or ever have been in a relationship, watch this short film so that you know what mistakes not to make and why it is necessary to keep putting in the efforts for a relationship to last forever; not just for a relationship to last but for it to stay healthy - forever.

If there is anything worse than something preventing you from achieving your dream, that is someone preventing you from doing so... 90 coins, in 90 days that will glue you to your seats for 9 minutes. Directorial debut for Michael Wong who hits the nail with a short drama portraying the gut-wrenching feeling of slowly losing love to an idle, utopic, pseudo-promising dream.

Brilliantly directed, edited, and acted, "The Story of 90 Coins" serves as a memory which comes and goes in waves blending two peoples' lives the way they would like to remember them, and the way they actually were. A memory that will lead them to find eternal love or lose themselves forever.