Starring Leon Lai and Shu Qi, this is a small scope film with epic aspirations that don't quite come off. If you like one or the other actor, you will probably find something to like in the film.
Ostensibly, this is the story of two young people falling in love in times of political and social turmoil, and then separated by circumstance and differing goals. One goes to Paris to study, the other stays behind in Hong Kong. They marry other people, and both have a child. When they are reunited by chance at a Mandarin language school, they realise they have never stopped loving each other, and the obligatory affair ensues. Now both rich and successful, they are able to buy a home together and take flying lessons in their spare time. It's hard to feel sympathy for them, however: they seem like two people who never quite let go of adolescence and embraced adulthood.
By contrast, the more interesting story is that of the now grown children, played by Daniel Ng and Nicola Cheung, through whom the story of the parents is told in retrospect. They are sweet and believable, much more so than the parents. Daniel Ng in particular, was a pleasant surprise, and Nicola Chueng displayed charm and depth. Their relationship is more affecting, since it's initially based on mutual suffering and loss, but then gradually more on genuine affection.
The plot has very little suspense, which is necessary for a film such as this to work, since the denouement is revealed at the beginning of the film. It did seem rather a lot like an excuse for Leon Lai and Shu Qi to gaze winsomely into middle distance, and I maintain my position that Mr Lai should never be allowed within spitting distance of a microphone or a guitar, but if you are hard up for something to watch on a rainy evening with your girlfriends, this may just hit the spot for you.
Ostensibly, this is the story of two young people falling in love in times of political and social turmoil, and then separated by circumstance and differing goals. One goes to Paris to study, the other stays behind in Hong Kong. They marry other people, and both have a child. When they are reunited by chance at a Mandarin language school, they realise they have never stopped loving each other, and the obligatory affair ensues. Now both rich and successful, they are able to buy a home together and take flying lessons in their spare time. It's hard to feel sympathy for them, however: they seem like two people who never quite let go of adolescence and embraced adulthood.
By contrast, the more interesting story is that of the now grown children, played by Daniel Ng and Nicola Cheung, through whom the story of the parents is told in retrospect. They are sweet and believable, much more so than the parents. Daniel Ng in particular, was a pleasant surprise, and Nicola Chueng displayed charm and depth. Their relationship is more affecting, since it's initially based on mutual suffering and loss, but then gradually more on genuine affection.
The plot has very little suspense, which is necessary for a film such as this to work, since the denouement is revealed at the beginning of the film. It did seem rather a lot like an excuse for Leon Lai and Shu Qi to gaze winsomely into middle distance, and I maintain my position that Mr Lai should never be allowed within spitting distance of a microphone or a guitar, but if you are hard up for something to watch on a rainy evening with your girlfriends, this may just hit the spot for you.