How Long Will I Love U?
Director- Su Lun
Cast- Lei Jiayin, Tong Liya
Country of origin- China
Distributor - Well Go
Number of discs – 1
Reviewed by - Tyler Miller
Date- 08/06/2019
Something strange happens one night when the same apartment from 1999 and 2018 suddenly starts to blend together through a time glitch. The front door is melted into one and depending on who opens it tells what time your in. The 1999 tenant Lu (Lei Jiayin) is a loser property designer who can barely keep a job. The 2018 Tenant Gu (Tong Liya) is a single woman who dreams of marrying a rich man. The two soon become roommates of sorts and try to figure out what is going on. But love also happens to be in the air.
Time traveling is a theme in a subgenre of romance movies. It can vary from different films like 1980’s Christopher Reeve starring SOMEWHERE IN TIME, Lee Hyun-seung’s II MARE (2000) and it’s American remake Alejandro Agresti’s THE LAKE HOUSE (2006), and even the II MARE inspired Indian film MINCHAGI NEE BARALU (2015). But most recently the theme was used in the 2016 anime smash hit Makoto Shinkai’s YOUR NAME. Like YOUR NAME, HOW LONG WILL I LOVE U (2018) starts off as a sweet meet cute that turns into a romance with a huge dramatic twist.
The last hour of HOW LONG WILL I LOVE YOU is what makes it so much fun. Despite some cliche romance tropes, I found myself being won over by the film and it’s feel good spirit. The stereotypical modern girl only loves financial gain subplot is here, but instead of a mind numbing Barbra Wong movie (THE STOLEN YEARS) its self aware in it’s silliness and is quickly set aside. The actual meat of the drama is twist with 2018’s version of Lu and how he became corrupt to become a billionaire. Like YOUR NAME it adds some real dramatic weight and action to its third act.
SU LUN (LIPS AND SOUL) directs the movie with a sure hand and there are only a few moments that made me question the emotional pull. The film won the Best Romantic Film at the 2018 Chinese Film Media Awards, and it’s well deserved. Lun’s direction doesn’t feel forced out. The film is layed with detail and the time traveling apartment is a fabulous piece of design. In terms of themes there is some reflection on how China has changed in the last 20 years. How prices and technology have changed but still the common human problems are the same.
But of course the film’s best element is the chemistry between the two leads. Lei Jiayin and Tong Liya both have great comic timing and a relaxed lived in lives. You can easily see them as their characters. Tong makes her at first selfish and money hungry character as likeable with a troubled past. Both actors also get to show some physical comedy with the opening 20 minutes of the houses merching into one with disappearing shampoo, burnt food, and plenty of flour. By the end their romance is enjoyable felt earned.
Well Go USA gives the film a handsome transfer on Blu-ray. The 1080p HD picture is full of detail and sharp focus. The image is crisp and full of vivid colors. The black levels are also smooth. The 5.1 Mandarin DTS-HDMA audio is also spot less with no hiss or issues. There are English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese subtitles. There are no extras other than Well Go USA trailers.
