Lost in Time (2003)

Lost in Time, directed by Yee Tung-Shing, is a story of a young woman, Siu Wai, whose fiancé has been killed, and she is left trying to pick up the pieces of her life, while caring for his child from previous marriage. She takes on learning to drive the mini bus that he owned, and taking his bus-route. We realize that she has in some ways crafted a life of holding on to the past, to what she had with her fiancé who died, and she takes on any hardship as long as she can maintain this connection. We see her struggles and our hearts breaks for her. Can she find her way back to living in the present? Along the way she is being helped by one of her fiancé's colleagues, Dai Fai, who sees how much she is unable to manage all that she has taken on. Lau Ching-Wan plays the role of Dai Fai, who is so helpful to a point we are lost, why is he doing so much for her. It does not appear that he has any romantic interests in her. He does bond with the little boy, and for a time, they form sort of a family relationship without having a romantic relationship. That is a tough role to balance, and Lau Ching-Wan handles it superbly. The little boy, played by Daichi Harashima, will steal your heart.

Cecilia Cheung, in the role of Siu Wai, is frail and determined at the same time. She manages to hide below her tenacity such a level of weakness and despair. She had received the 2004 Hong Kong Best Actress award for this role, and deservingly so. The other person who deserves accolades is James Yuen, whose script never forces anything but lets the story slowly unfold. It's the brutal honesty about Siu Wai's stubbornness and her inadequacy that makes the film stand out. Even when the film is sad, it's not depressing. Even when it's light, it's not silly. It is a complex film that will touch your heart!

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