Spoilers
Korean romances that took flight with such momentum in the last few years have lost steam. The last couple that I saw have been rather contrived and succumbed to cheap tear jerking. Style might have still been there, but substance has become somewhat lacking. At the same time the rest of Asia has started to show what they can do. The Taiwanese gem Blue Gate Crossing is one good example. Japanese Collage of Our Love is another.
In fact, it is difficult to put Collage into any genre for it does not fit simply into the niche of romance, being much richer in its content. For the time being, however, let's leave it at that and take a look at the two leads.
Ryoko Hirosue, now in her early twenties, has been among the most controversial of Japanese teenage stars. Her rather eccentric behind-the-screen personality aside (and she might even be acting there too), she has given the screen a few memorable performance. Fathers who have daughters and have seen Poppoya (The Railroad Man - 1999) would have shed many a tear. Her appearance in Poppoya however was quite brief. More challenging was Himitse (Secret), in the same year, in which she played the duel role of a teenage girl and the mother whose spirit possessed her after a fatal accident. Hirosue then made her international debut in a French corroboration with Jean Reno in Wasabi (2001).
Ryuhei Matsuda's most striking appearance was in Gohatto (Taboo 1999), in which he played a young samurai with a face like an angle. One of my most favourite IMDB reviewer's summary line for this movie is `Beautiful Face'. However, while Matsuda's strikingly beautiful face is the key to the role he plays in Gohatto, it is quite incidental in Collage.
This film is basically in three parts. After what I would call a prologue that poses a question of why a male photographer would adopt a woman's name, the first part takes place in Tokyo. The tone is generally that of a bittersweet romance. Hirosue, considerably more mature than in she has been hitherto, gives a most winning performance radiating charm and wit, as well as compassion and devotion. On the other hand, Matsuda's beautiful face is not quite sufficient to redeem the character that is sadly common: a man who cannot handle a woman more successful than himself. Despite her very touching manifestation that she originally took up photography only to be able to share his world, the relationship grinds to a temporary halt, with her going to New York to seek her fortune, but not before making him promise to look her up when he has proved himself by becoming a professional photographer.
The second part starts with his trip to New York, three years later, to unravel a mystery after receiving news that she has been killed and also a letter from her announcing her upcoming photography show. The tone here takes a rather abrupt turn, and the film becomes something that resembles a noire comedy. Via his search, the audience is led through various elements: multiculturalism, post-911 sentiments, as well as both the beautiful and the ugly side of The Big Apple.
The last part of the film, by comparison, has least to offer, as it deteriorates into something of a run-of-the-mill crime suspense. The prologue (if I can call it that) however is redeeming. Using the earlier motif of the mandarin orange, the focus is brought back to a more spiritual level. The scene is markedly reminiscent of Hirosue's other movie Poppoya (if you've seen both, you'll know what I mean).
At the end, the theme is brought back with full integrity, answering the very first question of why this successful photographer uses a woman's name for himself. In addition to offering many things for the audience to reflect on, this film is also a photographic tribute to New York, a city many visitors end up falling in love with. Collage Of Our Love easily deserves an 8 out of 10, if not higher.
Korean romances that took flight with such momentum in the last few years have lost steam. The last couple that I saw have been rather contrived and succumbed to cheap tear jerking. Style might have still been there, but substance has become somewhat lacking. At the same time the rest of Asia has started to show what they can do. The Taiwanese gem Blue Gate Crossing is one good example. Japanese Collage of Our Love is another.
In fact, it is difficult to put Collage into any genre for it does not fit simply into the niche of romance, being much richer in its content. For the time being, however, let's leave it at that and take a look at the two leads.
Ryoko Hirosue, now in her early twenties, has been among the most controversial of Japanese teenage stars. Her rather eccentric behind-the-screen personality aside (and she might even be acting there too), she has given the screen a few memorable performance. Fathers who have daughters and have seen Poppoya (The Railroad Man - 1999) would have shed many a tear. Her appearance in Poppoya however was quite brief. More challenging was Himitse (Secret), in the same year, in which she played the duel role of a teenage girl and the mother whose spirit possessed her after a fatal accident. Hirosue then made her international debut in a French corroboration with Jean Reno in Wasabi (2001).
Ryuhei Matsuda's most striking appearance was in Gohatto (Taboo 1999), in which he played a young samurai with a face like an angle. One of my most favourite IMDB reviewer's summary line for this movie is `Beautiful Face'. However, while Matsuda's strikingly beautiful face is the key to the role he plays in Gohatto, it is quite incidental in Collage.
This film is basically in three parts. After what I would call a prologue that poses a question of why a male photographer would adopt a woman's name, the first part takes place in Tokyo. The tone is generally that of a bittersweet romance. Hirosue, considerably more mature than in she has been hitherto, gives a most winning performance radiating charm and wit, as well as compassion and devotion. On the other hand, Matsuda's beautiful face is not quite sufficient to redeem the character that is sadly common: a man who cannot handle a woman more successful than himself. Despite her very touching manifestation that she originally took up photography only to be able to share his world, the relationship grinds to a temporary halt, with her going to New York to seek her fortune, but not before making him promise to look her up when he has proved himself by becoming a professional photographer.
The second part starts with his trip to New York, three years later, to unravel a mystery after receiving news that she has been killed and also a letter from her announcing her upcoming photography show. The tone here takes a rather abrupt turn, and the film becomes something that resembles a noire comedy. Via his search, the audience is led through various elements: multiculturalism, post-911 sentiments, as well as both the beautiful and the ugly side of The Big Apple.
The last part of the film, by comparison, has least to offer, as it deteriorates into something of a run-of-the-mill crime suspense. The prologue (if I can call it that) however is redeeming. Using the earlier motif of the mandarin orange, the focus is brought back to a more spiritual level. The scene is markedly reminiscent of Hirosue's other movie Poppoya (if you've seen both, you'll know what I mean).
At the end, the theme is brought back with full integrity, answering the very first question of why this successful photographer uses a woman's name for himself. In addition to offering many things for the audience to reflect on, this film is also a photographic tribute to New York, a city many visitors end up falling in love with. Collage Of Our Love easily deserves an 8 out of 10, if not higher.
