JC SiLent:You cant be that far away from me ; if we're looking on the same side of the moon
Sunday, December 11, 2005
TODAY FILMREVIEW by Jeanine Tan
Friday • Dec 9 2005
4 **** = shld watch movie
THE musical element of PerhapsLove has been played up,but on screen the music takes a back seat to the love story,which is portrayed with such sensitivity that
everything else in the film seems superfluous.
Directed by Peter Chan, Perhaps Love revolves around actors Lin Jiandong (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Sun Na (Zhou Xun). Once an aspiring director,Lin was deeply in love with Sun until her pursuit of fame interfered with their relationship and she dumped him.
Years later, Lin is a successfulactor and Sun is the muse of acclaimed director Nie Wen(Jacky Cheung).
Their paths cross again when he is cast opposite her in Nie’s new production, a musical that has a plot uncannily similar to the story of their lives.
And so the line between real and reel blurs: The musical becomesa medium for the former lovers to accomplish in fiction what they cannot do in reality: Confront the raging demons of their past relationship.
The Moulin Rouge comparisons are obvious, since the feel of the musical in Perhaps Love seems inspired by the burlesque elements of director Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film, as does the choppy editing.
But the musical is more like a distraction here. As is Cheung’s supporting role as a director frustrated with his craft,a story arc that is never fully developed. Korean actor Ji Jin Heeas Monty, a wandering spirit who merely observes humanity, is another odd addition.
In essence, Perhaps Love focuseson the way people behave when they’re in love, emphasising the fact that this single emotioncan encompass remembrance,forgiveness, selfishness, longing and denial.
Each of these layers is articulated through two soul mates whose world views are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The actors’ performances are superb. Kaneshiro’s character is vulnerable, but he also lends a maniacal, dangerous air to the lover who cannot let go.
As the one who wants to put the past behind her, Zhou tempers the outward cruelty of her character with a heartbreakingquietness that can be seen easily in her expressive eyes.
& 1:19 am