Na xie nian, wo men yi qi zhui de nu hai

if you're around 15-23, maybe you can relate to this kind of movie. to me, this movie relates to my real love life. this movie is a wake up call for those who are related, and by watching this movie you realize that there's someone forever remarkable in you, your significant other, but that "someone" isn't destined to be with you. maybe, after several tries and efforts, you realize that this person will always be "the apple of my eye". someone who is remarkable enough and has changed you to be the better person you are today.

the person you want to be happy, if it's with someone else, and you're happy for them after all those years.

Nostalgia's a bitch, and this columnist is pretty sure each and every one of you reading this review is guilty of indulging in memories – as much as you know it's the present that really matters. How else would you explain the sudden emergence of movies (Smurfs and Transformers come to mind) which remind us of the good ol' days? (Ed's note: Michael Bay's pompous 'bots simply serves as a stark reminder of how good things from the past should be left alone.) Closer to home, Taiwanese novelist Giddens Ko capitalises on this innate human nature and turns his creative talent into box-office gold by directing his first feature film. The prolific and popular author has translated one of his well loved works into an accessible movie you will find no problems falling in love with. How else would you explain the phenomenal success of the 110 minute production back in Taiwan, where it beat Monga (2010) and Cape No. 7 (2008) to become the local film with the biggest ever opening day and weekend box office earnings? The story may have been a chapter of your younger days: The school prankster and the perfect student become the most unlikely friends. A relationship blossoms between the two, and before one realises it, years past and what's left are bittersweet memories of what could have been. Along the way, you also get introduced to the protagonists' friends who are familiar characters from your past – the loyal sidekick, the overweight but studious goodie two shoes and the goofy and unassuming dude amongst others. We are also introduced to thematic memories which seem to have flown past us during these hurried years of growing up. Be it the pursuit of the perfect future, the hopelessly romantic crush on a fellow classmate, or the steadfast allegiance between friends, there will be many sequences in the movie that will strike a chord with you. Producer Angie Chai sure knows her audiences well – the experiences on successful TV series like 2001's Meteor Garden (the show that launched boyband F4's career) and 2003's Love Storm have made this movie an unabashedly likable idol drama. It has all the ingredients of a crowd pleaser: Besides the nostalgic storyline, the stars are pleasing and charismatic. Good lookers Ko Chen Tung and Michelle Chen take on the lead roles in this adolescent tale, and relatively unknown artistes are now stars in their own rights. Other unfamiliar but pleasant stars like Ao Chuan, Steven Hao (you may recognise him as the butt baring kid in many infamous Kung Fu slapstick movies from the yesteryears), Tsai Chang Hsien, Wan Wan and Yen Sheng Yu make up the ensemble cast. Complement the young actors' decent performances with a refreshing touch of humour (watch out for a hilarious scene which involves synchronised masturbation), eye pleasing cinematography, a soothing piano score and some recognisably retro songs. The emotionally fulfilling theme song "Na Xie Nian" (literal translation: "Those Years) performed by Hu Xia deserves a place in your music device. The film has earned several nominations at the 48thGolden Horse Awards, and this is further proof that viewers are lapping this shamelessly nostalgic movie up. Yes, this increasingly cynical columnist is a fan of this affectingly moving movie as well – simply because nostalgia's a feeling no one can shake off.

This film is about a group of high school classmates' amazing years together, growing up and learning lessons in life.

"You Are the Apple of My Eye" has a simple but profoundly effective story. The backdrop of the story and the characters are all so ordinary, everyday like, which connects with people so well. Watching the film is like having a time machine, bringing me back to those days when I was just like them.

The main characters, Chia-Yi and Ko-Teng, are so well matched. They have amazing chemistry, and shows the sweet puppy love which does not fade with time. Their blossoming relationship is bound to evoke much memories, taking viewers into a treasure of sweetness which is stacked away somewhere deep in the brain. Aside from the sweetness, this subplot is also full of "if only", which brings reality back into the fairytale. It invites people to take a nostalgic trip to fill in what the "if only" is for them.

The film culminates into a great emotional zenith at the end. That beautiful shot in the banquet hall, even though is imaginary, serves as a bittersweet closure. Again, "if only" comes to mind, but only with happiness and not regret.

"You Are the Apple of My Eye" is an exceptionally well done film. There is no wonder why everyone in Hong Kong is talking about it, all social networking websites have status updates related to the film, and even many newspaper articles are named in relation to the title. "You Are the Apple of My Eye" has become a social phenomenon, and is likely to be an enduring one.

You Are the Apple of My Eye based on director Giddens Ko's autobiographical novel, is a coming of age story.The film starts with Ko Ching-Teng (Giddens) remembering his old school day when he and all his friends had a crush on Shen Chia-Yi, a honour student from their class and how they all chased her for years.Shen develops a deep friendship with Ko-Teng as she helps him study through his final year in school.Shen, Ko-Teng and all his friends then go their different ways to attend college.The story follows Ko-Teng as he tries to win over Shen.

The film has all the makings of a cult.The director shows us a crude and strangely accurate picture of our youth, sometimes going a little overboard but never failing to capture our sensitive side.See how Ko- Teng picks a fight just to bring his love a little closer or how all the boys can jerk off all day long but don't have the heart to face rejection of their love.All the performances are light and carefree,which works very well with the theme of the film.You never sense that something is out place as the film flows freely with a pace of its own from start to finish.Shen Chia-Yi will remains in your memory as the girl we all come across sometime,somewhere and you smile with her smile and cry as she weeps.

I loved this emotional roller-coaster of a film and will surely come back to it in time.The films is nostalgia for the old and reminiscence for the young.This is a special movie.Don't miss this instant classic.

P.S. : Last time i enjoyed a film about love this much was when I watched The Classic directed by Kwak Jae-young.

This is a very nice romantic movie but unfortunately was drag down by some unnecessary / offensive scenes like masturbation, guys walking around naked in front of family members, erections, porn, etc. The director must have thought these scenes were essential and funny but not everyone can appreciate these kind of humor especially in a youth oriented romance movie.

I was disappointed on the first half of this film and wondered why it got such high score on this site. After a week or so I decided to finish the movie and surprise, surprise I ended up liking it a lot. Guess I just wanted a clean romantic movie which I can proudly show to all the people in my household regardless of age.

I give this movie 7/10 rating. Sad because this could have been an easy 9+ for me.