Review: Jay Chou's Secret

Heck, I'm interrupting my html studies now to settle my score with IMHO this summer's best Chinese melodrama: Secret (不能说的秘密), which i think deserves my mention in the blog.

Some weeks ago I went for this movie with The Girlfriend. This is one of the rare times where i entered the cinema without knowing anything what i were to expect, and we're some 10 minutes late too.
So it goes, we found our seats and started watching what in my preconception is typical Taiwanese idol fare. Jay Chou who played Ye Xiang Lun, a not so typical music student in a junior college, impresses a bunch of students. Then we get some slapsticks from some Nan Quan Mama guys. Okay, i thought to myself, i expected this. Then we get to meet the leading lady (girl), and thats when everything seems to be beautiful. Xiao Yu (Played by Kwai Lun Mei) is the sort of girl that gives you this strangey kind of feeling. Alright, at that point it felt like a Japanese romance movie. The two meets, some kind of feeling builds up between them, they got chemistry, and finally Yu tells him she likes him (of course they kissed). Tada! That was easy right?

Wrong! (haha, i anticipated this too) She seems short of breath, obviously a side effect from kisses, and we found out that she's athsmatic. My experience tells me that its a severe one, and so i concluded at that point that this girl is going to die or that this girl is near dying but miraculously survived at the end. I thought this movie was going from Japanese to Korean. But hell no, i was wrong. I'm not going to elaborate on the story here but i can say that the next thing happen was a spooky ghost story-like adventure, and the ending (or more precisely the resolution) blew my mind away.

The best part of it is knowing after the show that this is directed by Jay Chou. Damn...I think this movie deserves to be on a text book. The cinematography was close to perfect. It captures the feel of the setting pretty well (was located at Tanshui). The framing were classic example of what to shoot. Every bit of emotion is present either from the characters or their surroundings. Casting-wise, Kwai Lun Mei was aptly casted for the role of Yu. She has this next-door-girl kind of feel. She's not too beautiful, nor cute, and i think that keeps someone like me rooted to what happens to her. Jay Chou clearly improved over his last movies, he's very much being himself, minus the over-coolness. Anthony Wong (who plays Jay's dad) brings on a good performance worthy of his others. Most of the supporting cast are not bad at all.

I personally liked Secret for its plot's tightness. Everything but one question is answered. The story might be a mixture of different genres but it works here. It felt draggy during the middle parts but a brilliant (and equally draggy) resolution saves the show. The downside (apart from the ending, but thats personal) is the script. It felt too simple and lacking punch, but i think the film redeems itself for the good story and camerawork.

Overall, Secret feels like a long, short story, albeit one that is good. You got to see the movie with your own eyes to experience what i mean. It wouldn't be called Secret otherwise:)



no-fark!