You, are the apple of my eye

In a parallel universe, we would have gone back in time to correct all the missed opportunities, all the mistakes that we may have made in life; but in our present reality, all we can do is just look back at those memories, smile fondly and move on with our head held high.

《那些年，我們一起追的女孩》 is a Taiwanese coming of age film that en-captures all the joy, laughter, pain and sorrow of growing up. A tender, heartwarming and touching film that has an incredible heart, it's a realistic and honest reflection of the trials and tribulations of growing up in the 90s, in an era that heralds the burgeoning of the information age, in a world before the influx of the internet and the expanse of technology that it brings. Things were simpler, more innocent then, and you get a sense that without technology, relationships and bonds were more realistic and honest as well.

Its a film that's amazingly well crafted, finely balanced in its ability to shift from incredibly hilarious laugh out loud moments of both unabashedly crude humour that the Taiwanese are well known for and subtle blink-and-you'll-miss-it jokes, to moments that are unbelievably poignant, touching and occasionally heart wrenching. And its ability to straddle both sides of the emotional spectrum lies not just in the palpable chemistry of its entire ensemble cast, but also in the sensitivities of the director/screenwriter/author of the film. There's no doubt that the cast of mostly young twenty-somethings, led by 柯震東 & 陳妍希, have done an incredible job here, but the true success of the film lies in Director 九把刀's directing abilities - the scenes are almost postcard picturesque, the storytelling and pacing were both controlled and elegantly executed, brilliant work from a director who's making his directorial debut with this solid effort.

The ending's bittersweet, but then again, I found it extremely satisfying and realistic. On hindsight, any alternative ending would probably have felt forced and contrite, and the film would probably lose an incredible level of depth and poignancy. Nonetheless, I left the theatre feeling more refreshed and satisfied that I've ever been in a long time.

In life, we are bound to leave behind a slew of missed opportunities and unfortunate mishaps. But the point of growing up is to look back on these memories and regrets, and learn from them and to make sure that when the future comes, we grow with our experiences and seize the moments that would change our lives for the better. The past can never be rectified, but should always be remembered and treasured. At the same time, we strive to live life to the fullest, to create new memories and not regrets. And that, to me is the challenge of life. =)