[Movie] You Are the Apple of My Eye 《那些年，我們一起追的女孩》

This is non-TVB related but I want to share this with you guys. I don't follow movies so I didn't know about this when it came out last year. I first came across its theme song, I love it so I did a quick search on it and learned that this movie is quite popular. I finally got a chance to watch it last month and I want to post something about it before I forget.

This movie is a semi-autobiography by the Taiwanese author Giddens Ko. It's technically a romantic story between the two leads told from the guy's perspective. The story began in 1994 and ended in the present time. It follows their journey from high school to university to adulthood. The love depicted here is nothing gross. It's rather simple, pure and genuine. The whole movie has none of the so-called "dramatic" factors or any must-watch scenes but it will sneakily evoke your emotions. For those who have experienced or gone through the Asian educational system, this movie really did bring back a lot of memories. The strict school uniform/hairdo rules, the announcing-your-grades-to-the-whole-class custom, the out-of-nowhere punishment, the cruel never-ending "final" examinations that will determine your future, etc, etc..., everything was shown here.

The story line is rather simple. A group of high school students had a crush on their classmate and each of them would try to impress her in their own ways. After graduation, each person went on a different path in life but everyone still maintained his genuine love for her. And finally, they all met again in a wedding party. The ending was bittersweet. It showed the cruelty of fate and time, the innocence and ignorance of youth. However, everything doesn't matter anymore in the end because they all learned that loving one person is to see that person happy, no matter what the outcome is. And more importantly, the friendship they shared was able to survive and stand strong till the end.

I would give this movie an 8/10 and I do think that everyone should watch it. The theme song Those Years《那些年》 sung by Hu Xia fits this movie perfectly and is really nice. It is one of my favorite songs now.