Au revoir Taipei

[Zen_Amako]

I watched this movie on Blu-ray earlier this week (HK version) after seeing it described as "Chungking Express lite". Apparently it was produced by Wim Wenders.

It's about a young guy whose girlfriend moves to Paris. When not working in his parents' restaurant, he spends his time in a bookstore trying to learn French, where a cute employee notices him. After his girlfriend breaks up with him, he asks a local gangster for money to buy a plane ticket to France with the hope that they'll get back together. But what of the cute and lonely bookstore clerk who gets dragged into his misadventures after his job for the gangster doesn't go as planned?

It's a cute movie with a very predictable plot, but it's executed well. There's never any real danger or menace. Things never get too heavy or too serious, and even the gangsters come off as fairly likable. It does give you a feel for what the city of Taipei is like at night, and Amber Kuo (a Taiwanese pop star) is super cute as the bookstore girl. It's an entertaining film, but don't go looking for much substance because it's a pretty lightweight affair.

The Blu-ray quality is good, which is typical for Panorama releases.

[PGW]

"Au Revoir Taipei" is, indeed, a very laid-back, funny and entertaining film. I enjoyed it tremendously. The characters were very likable, and I admired the fine touch it takes to pull off a film like this and have it work. To me, it had more in common with something like Jim Jarmusch's "Night On Earth" than Wong Kar Wai, though the cinematography was, indeed, reminiscent of "Chungking Express" (which is, of course, a good thing).

In any event, if you don't have a big smile on your face at the end of "Au Revoir Taipei" I... well, I have no idea what to say. I can't imagine it.