A sad but beautiful triangular love story with Taiwan's student movement as backdrop. How much are you willing to suffer/sacrifice for the person you love? How long are you willing to love even if your love is not requited? What would you do for a friend who loves you but you do not love as much? How close would you like to be with someone you love but were afraid to tell?
These are all questions I kept asking myself as the movie went along. Like the tag in its trailer, perhaps everyone has two lovers: one who loves me and one I love. Life would be perfect if these two persons are the same. But life is never perfect. And in this case, the best and the saddest love stories are muddled and linger on for three decades, making it beautiful and sad at the same time.
Mabel (Lunmei Kwai) loves Liam (Hsiao-chuan Chang) who loves Aaron (Rhydian Vaughan) who loves Mabel. Only Aaron expresses his love for Mabel after Liam tells him that he and Mabel are not a couple. Both Mabel and Liam did not have the courage to confess their feelings until years later when Mabel found out she was betrayed by Aaron. However, their tragic confessions make both of them even sadder and pave way for their stronger friendship.
Another few years pass when they all graduate from college and start working. Liam's love to Aaron and Mabel's love to Liam still linger but Aaron is married, to someone outside this triangle. Their friendship is spoiled when an affair is involved. Perhaps Mabel is involved with Aaron because that would be the closest she can get to Liam: if Liam cannot get close to Aaron, maybe she can do it for him. The sad part is that she finally realizes that Aaron would/could never love her as much as he has promised – ironically he is just like the Pinocchio he tells his son. So Mabel chooses to back off, again.
For Liam, no matter it is Aaron or other man or being loved by Mabel, life is painful. Like he said, many sufferings are self-inflicted. Liam finally makes a painful decision to stop loving Aaron after a confrontation following prolonged repression: he has been suffering all his life but he stopped because he saw a mirror image. Mabel could have a choice and so could he. The scene of them in the supermarket is moving as they finally realize they are still very close friends after all these years – and they care for each other no matter what happens. Although his love for Aaron subsides and their friendship spoiled, his love for Mabel exists which sublimes into parental love for her kids whom he treats as his own.
This is such a tragic story but you cannot help but like it. It could never have happened without the three outstanding actors and actress where everyone is caught between two forces. Kwai is amazing in playing Mabel, who is caught between Aaron and Liam. She evolves from a bold Tomboy, a daring college student and finally a mature but sad woman. When you see her sad eyes, you want to cry with her.
Hsiao-chuan Chang plays the loving yet introvert Liam who spends his whole life suppressing his passion but taking care of his close friend. You will feel so sorry for him and his predicament that you want to hug him tightly.
Rhydian Vaughan plays the outgoing, daring and rebellious Aaron. Extremely handsome, Aaron at college resembles a young Tom Cruise and is very pleasant to watch.
A very important character is Sean (Bryan Shu-hao Chang) who, opposite to Liam, is honest and open about his sexual orientation. A rational observer of life, he is well aware of what's going on between the trios and is doing everything he can to help his friends. An honest and sincere person, Sean finally finds the happiness he deserves. Bryan is brilliant: he does not appear often but whenever he appears, the character shines.
This movie uses very strong film language to express the rich emotions. All details are related to pave way for later development or reflect the character's emotions. Produced with immense sincerity, excellent direction, great script and superb cast, this is worth watching again and again because there are such complex emotions going on. On the one hand, our protagonists seem to be happy and fulfilled; on the other hand, there is always a sad note and painful compromise somewhere. But then if you look from another angle, it may be sad but it is comforting after all. An excellent production. Must see.
These are all questions I kept asking myself as the movie went along. Like the tag in its trailer, perhaps everyone has two lovers: one who loves me and one I love. Life would be perfect if these two persons are the same. But life is never perfect. And in this case, the best and the saddest love stories are muddled and linger on for three decades, making it beautiful and sad at the same time.
Mabel (Lunmei Kwai) loves Liam (Hsiao-chuan Chang) who loves Aaron (Rhydian Vaughan) who loves Mabel. Only Aaron expresses his love for Mabel after Liam tells him that he and Mabel are not a couple. Both Mabel and Liam did not have the courage to confess their feelings until years later when Mabel found out she was betrayed by Aaron. However, their tragic confessions make both of them even sadder and pave way for their stronger friendship.
Another few years pass when they all graduate from college and start working. Liam's love to Aaron and Mabel's love to Liam still linger but Aaron is married, to someone outside this triangle. Their friendship is spoiled when an affair is involved. Perhaps Mabel is involved with Aaron because that would be the closest she can get to Liam: if Liam cannot get close to Aaron, maybe she can do it for him. The sad part is that she finally realizes that Aaron would/could never love her as much as he has promised – ironically he is just like the Pinocchio he tells his son. So Mabel chooses to back off, again.
For Liam, no matter it is Aaron or other man or being loved by Mabel, life is painful. Like he said, many sufferings are self-inflicted. Liam finally makes a painful decision to stop loving Aaron after a confrontation following prolonged repression: he has been suffering all his life but he stopped because he saw a mirror image. Mabel could have a choice and so could he. The scene of them in the supermarket is moving as they finally realize they are still very close friends after all these years – and they care for each other no matter what happens. Although his love for Aaron subsides and their friendship spoiled, his love for Mabel exists which sublimes into parental love for her kids whom he treats as his own.
This is such a tragic story but you cannot help but like it. It could never have happened without the three outstanding actors and actress where everyone is caught between two forces. Kwai is amazing in playing Mabel, who is caught between Aaron and Liam. She evolves from a bold Tomboy, a daring college student and finally a mature but sad woman. When you see her sad eyes, you want to cry with her.
Hsiao-chuan Chang plays the loving yet introvert Liam who spends his whole life suppressing his passion but taking care of his close friend. You will feel so sorry for him and his predicament that you want to hug him tightly.
Rhydian Vaughan plays the outgoing, daring and rebellious Aaron. Extremely handsome, Aaron at college resembles a young Tom Cruise and is very pleasant to watch.
A very important character is Sean (Bryan Shu-hao Chang) who, opposite to Liam, is honest and open about his sexual orientation. A rational observer of life, he is well aware of what's going on between the trios and is doing everything he can to help his friends. An honest and sincere person, Sean finally finds the happiness he deserves. Bryan is brilliant: he does not appear often but whenever he appears, the character shines.
This movie uses very strong film language to express the rich emotions. All details are related to pave way for later development or reflect the character's emotions. Produced with immense sincerity, excellent direction, great script and superb cast, this is worth watching again and again because there are such complex emotions going on. On the one hand, our protagonists seem to be happy and fulfilled; on the other hand, there is always a sad note and painful compromise somewhere. But then if you look from another angle, it may be sad but it is comforting after all. An excellent production. Must see.