Turn Left, Turn Right (2003)

Director: Johnny To, Wai Ka Fai

Writer: Jimmy Liao, Wai Ka Fai

Producer: Johnnie To Kei-Fung, Wai Ka-Fai, Daniel Yun

Cast: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Gigi Leung Wing-Kei, Chan Chi Choi (Edmund Chen), Kwan Wing (Terri Kwan), Lam Suet, Hui Siu-Hung.

Running Time: 102 mins

Plot: John (763092) and Eve (784533) live in the same apartment building, separated by just one thin wall. Living in wistful solitude, they both believe the day will come when they'll find true love... They long for that one magical moment...

Availability: This title is available at HKflix.com

EQUINOX21'S REVIEW: Turn Left, Turn Right could very well be Johnnie Toâs answer to Chungking Express and My Sassy Girl. Though it was far less a romantic COMEDY, and far more a romantic DRAMA, itâs still quite good. Though it may not be as good as the other two I mentioned, as they were made first, so this one doesnât quite feel AS original. However, like My Sassy Girl and Chungking Express, the predominating theme of TLTR is destiny.

Matters of mere coincidences have prevented two people from meeting, even though they live next door to each other (and donât know it) and pass by one another on a daily basis. From the time they were school kids in Taipei, 784533 (Gigi Leung) and 763092 (Takeshi Kaneshiro) have had crushes on each other, but had never actually had a conversation until a chance encounter at a fountain 13 years later. This encounter led to them spending the perfect day together, falling in love with one another and exchanging phone numbers before running to their respective homes to get out of the sudden rain. Unfortunately, the pieces of paper theyâd each written their numbers on got wet and bled the ink, rendering the phone numbers unreadable. With no phone number and no clues, they each began the long struggle of finding one another again.

TLTR was close to a perfect movie. One of the problems with it was that it could ONLY happen in the movies. The sheer number of coincidences that prevented them from seeing one another were too completely far fetched to be realistic, but made for a very satisfying, Earth-shattering finale (which explains why it took place in Taipei). The movie was based off an illustrated story, which makes perfect sense, as it almost feels like a comic in the way itâs laid out, framed and shot.

Takeshi and Gigi did terrific jobs, each expressing their longing for the other during their seemingly futile hunt. Unfortunately, two of the supporting actors/distractions (Edmund Chen and Terri Kwan) were really annoying. Itâs especially sad because they played important parts and the characters were so obnoxious that it really threw off the flow of the rest of the movie (imagine a good drama, say Godfather, interspersed with scenes featuring, say, Carrot Top· it just throws the whole flow off). The music and direction were both what Iâd expect from a Johnnie To/Wai Ka Fai movie, and I have no complaints about them. They were actually quite enjoyable.

Iâd definitely recommend Turn Left, Turn Right, even though it doesnât quite live up to the quality of similar movies. It was still enjoyable and makes me respect Johnnie To and Takeshi Kaneshiro all the more. Now, someone let me know why a Chinese girl would have felt the urge to learn Polish.

EQUINOX21'S RATING: 8.5/10