Turn Left, Turn Right

Turn Left Turn Tight is based on the best-selling illustrated love story of the same name by renowned Taiwanese author/artist, Jimmy Liao.

The story revolves around dashing John Liu (Takeshi Kaneshiro), an inspiring violinist and Eve Choi (Gigi Leung), a professional translator. Like millions living in a large city, John and Eve lead lives of solitude. Despite staying in the same apartment building, their paths never cross. One day, while walking around a fountain in the park, they finally bump into each other... and it's love at first sight! Unfortunately, a sudden shower cuts the encounter short. They manage to exchange telephone numbers but the rain renders the phone numbers illegible.

Inseparable partners, directors Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai who have worked together on many projects like Running On Karma, Love On a Diet, Love for All Seasons & etc, manage to recreate the magic of Jimmy Liao's story on the big screen. Even the lovely soundtrack with three songs by Gigi Leung blends well in a 'supporting' role. The pacing of the movie is just right. The audience will be in constant anticipation of the couple's next meeting, as meddling acquaintances, a former schoolmate (Edmund Chen), a food delivery girl (Terri Kwan) and pure bad luck, conspire to keep the would-be-lovers apart.

Meanwhile the leads, Takeshi and Gigi, share good on-screen chemistry together, albeit briefly. Of course the two had previously appeared together in the 1999 romantic hit film, Tempting Heart.

Turn Left Turn Right is a charming movie worth watching at least twice.

I very like this movie, Turn Left Turn Right. The genre romantic movie about boy meet girl, boy love girl, separated and meet again. But this Hong Kong movie is different and unique. Before, my favorite romantic movie ever is Serendipity (2001, directed by Peter Chelsom, starring John Cussack and Kate Beckinsale), see how funny when they seeking each other, from New York to Los Angeles. But now my salute to Johnny To (the director of Turn Left Turn Right)and Takeshi Kaneshiro-Gigi Leung (of course two leading player for this movie). See the desperately about Takeshi and Gigi when they only two time meet in 13 years! The fate, the meeting, and the love, are written from Sky. Remember, Jesus Christ says, when two people want something, anything, and pray together, so the Lord will blessed them! Amen.

I liked this movie, really, I did, it doesn't show you nothing spectacular, it doesn't show you something totally new..

But it does show you a great directing (loved the two umbrellas), a great story, simple but great, good actors, some funny moments, some sad moments. A story that you start to enjoy the further the minutes pass, and without noticing you will find yourself wanting the main character to reunite with each other! A movie to watch, and that proves that Johnny To is one of the best director in Asia!

A great story, a story of two people, that can never met, a story of two umbrellas, that we can see from above, but that never cross each other.

Turn Right, Turn Left : Just a great story !

Can this romance take place in another city besides Taipei? I am thinking about Paris, Prague, Venice, Istanbul, New York, St Petersburg, Sevilla (sorry, not London)… Tokyo? Probable but not very likely. In Asia, except Taipei, no city can provide suitable soil to let this seemingly mushy love story to germinate. I find it funny to see a young Japanese gal or guy reading Wislawa Szymborska's poetry in Polish language in Ueno Park. (Hong Kong? Oh, please don't ruin the whole enchilada.)

Takeshi Kaneshiro is definitely the baffled violinist but can someone think of some other actresses? Gigi is good absolutely but someone else may bring along different chemistry with TK.

The story is a mathematic and science illustrations. "Symmetry" was the word popped up in my mind when I finished the first ten minutes and "binary" is the next. What happens to them is like two magnetic iron pieces: both of them keep using the same side towards each other either always north or always south, so south and north cannot meet and stick together. Only twice, one side is south, another is north so they met, once at the park, another at the collapsed apartments. And what's the probability? I need to count the number of times they met but missed against the two times they met... difficult calculation. One more thing, symmetrically, both of them got a comical and clingy suitor: Dr. Wu and Ruby.

Jimmy Liao is pictorial poetic, he writes poetry with his illustrations. Pitifully, the movie adaptation more or less cannot totally grasp the air or spirit of his book.

I loved this movie. I caught only the last half on TV recently and tracked down the full film to see all of it. I am not familiar with the original illustrated novel though. It is a fairy tale for grownups, with humour, sadness, and a bit of slapstick. Lovely Gigi Leung plays her part of Eve Loi the romantic day-dreaming and slightly clumsy lover of poetry delightfully, and handsome Takeshi Kaneshiro plays the romantic, awkward and intensely shy John Liu to perfection. I was glad the corny temptation to resist naming them Adam and Eve was resisted. The symmetry of the parallel events is fun to anticipate, and the anti-symmetry of the two evil counter-characters adds to the complexity and a foil to the perhaps a bit saccharine sweetness of the main plot and characters The incidental parallel sub-plot of the avaricious landlords also meeting and exchanging phone numbers in the rain is a nice touch. I can forgive the occasional technical hiccups and goofs for the sheer lovely romance that it is.