The movie could be dragging so I don't think I would rewatch it ever again. In addition, I wouldn't think that this would be that much of a huge box-office success if it weren't for the fact that it was Zhao Wei's directorial debut. However, I'm still happy that I was able to watch it because it was still well-crafted. I really have to say that China's really good at producing movies that more people should take notice of.
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Story: Maybe because I myself is an university student, I can relate to the characters in the movie. This movie has all elements of youth, friendship, sisterhood, romance, ambition, fun, playfulness and so on. I am glad that the story focuses more on the younger time than the mature adults.
Acting: I would say it was well-cast. I heard that the female lead is a new actress, this being her first female lead role. But she did a really great job. Starring Mark Chao and Han Geng, there is nothing to ask for more although Han Geng's character has little to offer.
Music: I didn't find it great or bad.
Rewatch value: I don't really rewatch movies but it would be great to rewatch it after a few years.
Overall, this kind of movie takes an effort to start watching it, at least for me because it can be really boring sometimes. However, for this movie, it is a great movie worth watching, evidenced by its box-office figures.
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Zhao Wei's directing debut -- so I wasn't a fan of the choppy development. It also got boring at points so the fast forward button was my best friend.
But the way the story was handled left a weird (in a good way) taste in my mouth. The whole setup and plot development really just builds to the end, where Zheng Wei says "youth is just something for us to be nostalgic about"
And then the major reveal at the end really made me realize that no one was really at fault -- everyone was just making bad decisions because they were young.
Did I like how the movie felt? Yes
Did I love the acting? Yes. Everyone really spoke to my feelings.
Would I watch it again? For the few major quotes, maybe (I'm a huge quotes person)
Was I a fan of Zhao Wei as a director? Not my cup of tea.
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The summary kind of let me thought that it was going to be like a light comedy but it wasn't like that at all. If you're gonna watch it you should be prepared, because it is gonna turn quite drammatic. But, it was worth it, definitely.
At first I didn't like the setting (the uni) and it bothered me the fact that we didn't have a time collocation (that place seemed like a place from decades ago!). At the end, it turns out that it should be in the 21th century, so I am a little bit shocked. If we could grade that too, it would be surely low.
After that, the other thing that bothered me was the protagonist's early character. I hated her, really. As a girl I feel like she really was shameful... but nevertheless, this is a movie, she started to be enjoyable, later on, I appreciated.
The story was thought up and written really well, because it wasn't the usual clichè and it was able to trasmit strong feelings to the audience, according to me. There are twists that I never predicted but I was also able to identify with some of the characters, thus I felt really involved in it.
I don't really know how to judge the cast, but I felt like it was right. As for the music, I didn't really minded it, but never found it out of context.
Last but not least, I will not rewatch it. Absolutely. Never. Again. Probably.
Enjoy!
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How could I love and hate a movie so much at the same time?
I feel like this movie some kind of bait and switch. Draws you in with the feelings of youth and "everything is possible" but then you are hit with the realism of how hard and painful life is and how complex our feelings are and how we make the wrong decisions because of love, pride, rashness, foolishness, pain, hurt, infatuation, selfishness, or even what we may perceive as selflessness.
That said, it's incredibly beautifully moving and engrossing.
At the same time, it's utterly heartbreaking. Of course, I wanted closure, a happier resolution, but I knew that I couldn't really demand that of this movie because this is really how real life goes and that's what broke me. I don't think any "love and loss" story has broken me the way this one did.
If all this is something you're up for, please do watch this movie. However, if you would prefer happy endings and want something uplifting, take a pass on this one.
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Weird pacing and some of it just made no sense
I have not watched many Chinese movies, but have enjoyed a few Chinese dramas. I am studying Chinese so watched this to improve my Chinese. I may have missed some details, so forgive me.I did enjoy the student life at the start of the movie, like I also enjoyed "Unrequited Love" (暗恋：橘生淮南）。I would have have liked to know the time and place, I don't think it was mentioned. I found Zheng Wei to be a bit unbelievable at first, she was so over the top aggressive. Also the grime in the boys' room was too exaggerated. Her two boyfriends looked too similar, it was hard to tell them apart later.
There were skips and weird pacing that I found unsatisfying, like at the start of year 2 suddenly Zheng and Chen are dating? Also there were too many plots for a movie, each of the girls had their own story, probably these are handled better in the book, but the movie was too confusing, and too depressing due to having to have each one be a tragedy.
I actually liked that there was a adult part although this was a bit of a mess too. The characters decisions were too convenient, not realistic, like the mad wife.
All in all I did like some of the acting, and especially the main actress, but the story was a mess.
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This movie may be close to my heart due to the fact that I started watching it when I started university, and I can say that it perfectly summarized uni life and frienships. I found the metaphores and the setting to be amazing and the visuals really really great. The story is beautiful and it's the type of movie that leaves you thinking about it for days. The title is from a song from the band Suede, which is one of my favourites, so this may be why I was drawn to it. The story of these women, so different, yet so close just gives off an amazing perspective on how dreams when you ar young may turn to something so different. How life simply chages and how weirdly everything connects in the end. The woman who was searching fro true love ended up having a wedding with a guy she didn't know, the woman who kept on thinking about her first love decided it was not meant to be, and the guy who finally became succesfull realized what was truly important for him.
It's a great portrayal of how life is when you grow up and how love and frienships change. Truly recommend it.
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