but it is a lovely film as well.
cast:
Xiang Lun - Jay Chou (the green hornet)
Xiao Yu - Kwai Lun-Mei (all about women)
Qing Yi - Alice Ceng (so i'm not handsome)
Jay Chou discography link
This movie has the most beautiful soundtrack of songs composed by Jay Chou and Thai musician Terdsak Janpan, and it forms an enchanting backdrop to this quiet but slightly oscure story. I hadn't seen a Jay Chou film for a while so, when my laptop broke and i had to resort to watching films on youtube, comming across secret [which was actually directed and co-written by Chou as well] was a blessing. I should at this point apologise for the terrible screen shots from youtube [broken laptop is killing me]
The story hints at ghosty possiblities throughout but you're not really sure of the reason behind the female lead's mysteriousness. You spend your time wondering if she is a ghost, is she dying, is he crazy, or is she crazy, but you have to wait. Just let it answer your questions by the end and give up trying to work it out. Just enjoy their sweet interaction and the beautiful music.
So, the male lead Xiang Lun is played by the wonderful Jay Chou, who i think is just about one of the greatest people in the world. His musical skill is phenominal - we all know that, and his acting is natural and so easy to watch, i also love the way he speaks; his soft subtle laugh and smalls sighs through his words always make me drawn to him and i find myself smiling at his words even when they are not particularly funny. He just is sort of gently funny without really needing obvious comedy to push it through.
I don't think I had seen Kwai Lun Mei before but as i cant get on drama wiki at the moment i cant be sure. She was very interesting as Xiao Yu, full of depth and ambiguity. I would be happy to watch her in other things.
Alice Ceng Tseng Tzeng however you f*cking spell it, i recognised straight away from being in the the first Taiwanese drama i ever saw so I'm not handsome, she was a nice addition to this movie, always poised and pretty. I really like her for some reason and hope i come across more things of hers in time.
Xiang Lun's dad, played by Anthony Wong Chau Sang, is a bit of a fruit loop, his scenes are usually pretty funny. The interaction between Chau Sang and Chou is really sweet. Rapper Devon Song and piano prince Zhan YuHao of Nan Quan Mama also feature in the film - YuHao has a fantastic duelling pianos scene with Chou which shows off both their rediculous abilities. makes me sick. but i love that bit. (^_^)
Xiang Lun starts a new school where he is all mr gifted pianist guy, meets Xiao Yu who is all crackerjack mysterious girl with no friends, and basically that is all there is to it. Xiao Yu is a character hard not to love, if you like the weirdoes - which i do, Xiang Lun adores her from the very beginning but there is something not quite right about her. As i said earlier, my first thoughts were that she was a ghost or dying or one of them was crazy. In a sense i feel like all of the above is true in one way shape or form. But it isnt as it suggests. You will just have to watch to find out. either that or read my spoiler rant at the end. I have to put it in because some people didnt get the end as they obviously phased out and missed the point.
So what can i say about this before i go on to explain away the ending to those who misunderstood... I don't know really. besides the great cast and lovely story i guess i could mention the aesthetics. The feel of the movie wasn't only dictated by the score, the imagery was lovely too. I watched it on youtube so it wasnt the best quality but even so i could still see how pretty the setting was and how intriguing the effects were when it all goes mysteriously surreal and time warped.
The school is a stunning building, there are some nice touches with the places the pair visit (her rooftop garden for example), all in all a very beautiful looking film. It isnt very long i dont think, at least it didnt feel long. And i think i could happily show it to most people i know - maybe they shouldnt watch it with me though because i will just ureshii squee about Chou whenever he starts playing the piano.
It is fairly ambiguous and unexplained, which i like, and feels kind of sad and bittersweet. But if you actually get the ending you will probably smile.
spoiler explanations under movie posters.
**spoiler rant**
ok, for those who didnt get what happened there [i'm not actually b*tching about that at all, to be fair it is kind of easy to miss] when he manages by the skin of his teeth to get back to her, he walks as she did; with his eyes closed in the hope she would be the first person he sees (so she will be able to see him) and finds her in the class room. she doesnt remember him [presumably he has gone back to before she went forward] but there's no stopping fate when it comes to movie love and that last picture shows her smiling graduating from school as she never manages to do first time round in our timeline. he is not in the picture because no-one can see him but her. but she is happy as she has him with her. the point is that he loved her so much he went back to her even though the only person who would ever be able to see him for the rest of his life would be her. now if that aint sweet i dont know what is. such a lovely film. i actually was glued to my screen when he played the old piano that last time - so tense!
so thats it.
Jay Chou - Secret MV
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