Triumph of song and dance
Romance drama king Peter Chan Ho-san has created a sensual feast in Perhaps Love, an all-singing, all-dancing romantic musical featuring a galaxy of Asian stars such as Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhou Xun and Jacky Cheung Hok-yau.
Zhou plays Sun Na, an actress who becomes a star with the help of her boyfriend director Nie Wen (Cheung). She rekindles a romance with her teenage sweetheart, actor Lin Jian Dong (Kaneshiro) during the shooting of a musical in which they play reunited lovers while Nie portrays a jealous boyfriend. The three become entangled in a love triangle as the production progresses, blurring the lines between art and reality.
One of the major challenges of making a modern musical is to incorporate engaging song and dance sequences that fit in naturally with the story. Perhaps Love solves the problem with a film-within-a-film plot.
The songs - pop pieces by composers Peter Kam Pui-tat and Leon Ko - serve as catchy breaks from the narrative while being an essential part of the story.
Zhou's performance is amazing and her portrayal of Sun is both breathtaking and heartbreaking. It is a pleasure to watch this wonderful performer - who can sing, act and dance well - on the big screen.
Kaneshiro also delights with a well-rounded performance. He is not only a heart-throb, but also a natural, seasoned performer. Cheung's acting is slightly over-the-top, but the Canto-pop king's vocals remain unrivalled.
The film's real star is the director. Chan has seamlessly combined good acting, catchy music, stunning visuals, sumptuous sets and entertaining dance sequences to create a film that is romantic in sentiment and operatic in scale. It's a cinematic triumph.
VERDICT: WE LOVE IT
