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Lover's Discourse

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The script is based on the novel July and Anshen by Qing Shan and tells the story of two girls, from the moment they become friends at 13, and through a number of intervals, to their late 20s. Their relationship is much defined by their differences, since July is a well brought-up "princess" from a nice family and Anshen an outgoing, bold girl whose parents have actually abandoned her (her father is dead and her mother is constantly missing). The presence of a man, Jia Ming, is what makes them fall apart, as they start to discover themselves and their differences, while growing up.
Derek Tsang (Lover's Discourse) directs a very tender film that manages to combine elaborately elements of romance, drama and coming-of-age, while exemplifying …show more content…
The first is the pace, which is quite fast for the category, not lagging at all actually, maybe except the ending for a little bit. The second is the elaborate mixture of image and music, with the sound heightening the sense each image wants to give. I dare say, that, in that aspect, the film reaches the standard set by Hollywood. Those two factors, which exemplify the great work done in the sound department by Zheng "Joe" Huang and Ke Pollocks and Jing-Ping Yu's cinematography, along with the great editing, make the film a truly entertaining experience.
The two protagonists, Sichun Ma as July and Zhou Dongyu are great in their parts, as each one depicts two very differnet characters, whose antithesis, actually, forms their bond. The fact that their characters are mirrored in their actual appearances is another great asset of the film. In that aspect, gorgeous Sichun Ma looks like a prom queen and Zhou Dongyu like a rock'n'roll queen. Toby Lee as Jia Ming has a secondary role, but he plays it in adequate fashion, as his looks definitely make him worthy for a role as the bone of contention. The fact that all characters, despite their faults, are very likeable, is another trait that adds to the general aesthetics of the film.
Soul Mate is a truly wonderful film, that manages to reinvigorate a preterit genre with artfulness in every

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