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Review
by Kozo: |
Jay Chou's directorial
debut is named Secret - which is a dead giveaway
right there. Based on that title, you should know
that there's some lingering piece of information in
the film that turns this seemingly earnest youth romance
into an overwrought sob-fest. Secret needs
its secret. Without it, the film would probably be
irretrievably boring, plus no secret means no hook.
If there isn't an acute conflict placing this idealized
romance in jeopardy, then nobody is getting their
money's worth; the audience may as well be flipping
through a photo book of dope Jay Chou pictures. The
downside: Secret can easily be spoiled by any
in depth discussion. As such, I'll try to make sense
in this review without giving away too much. That's
harder than it sounds.
Let's cut straight to the
chase then: is Secret any good? Surprisingly,
it's not bad at all, possessing fine art direction,
cinematography and music, plus a moving performance
from Taiwanese actress Guey Lun-Mei (the excellent Blue Gate Crossing). The film also deserves
some credit for being complex and creative enough
in its narrative workings that one will likely hang
around to see how everything ends.
But Secret isn't convincing.
The film sets up rules that it eventually doesn't
follow, achieving its intended gooshy emotions but
leaving the audience to question just exactly how
they got there. Not everything completely adds up,
and the aggravating side characters, laggy pace, and
inexplicable events leaves this less of an accomplishment
than it perhaps could have been. Jay Chou does possess
some affable charm, but he's still too distant to
be a suitable romantic lead. He fares better as a
filmmaker, in that he at least attempts something
more substantial than your usual singer-turned-actor-turned-director,
plus he seems to have assembled a crew that buys into
his melodramatic vision. The biggest deal behind Secret is that it's probably better than one expects it to
be.
The straight skinny: Secret gets a thumbs up, albeit a qualified one, with Jay
Chou and company getting a solid "B" for their efforts.
Of course, if you're a Jay Chou fan then he'll probably
get an "A+" for simply existing, in which case you
should see Secret pronto because you would
probably would see it anyway regardless of whether
or not I recommend it. In many ways, Jay Chou is review
proof. Such is the magical allure of Chairman Chou.
That's the cryptic, cursory
evaluation of the film. However, before you read any
further, it's time to issue that spoiler warning again.
Truthfully, I won't be giving away much of the film
below, but if you're the sort that demands a pure
viewing experience then you should stop reading. I
mean it. Look away right now.
Still with me? Okay, here's
the basic outline. Jay Chou is Jay, a budding musical
genius whose way with piano keys makes him a hit with
the ladies, and even the guys, who recognize talent
when they see it. Jay arrives at Tanjiang Art School
and already he's being watched, but his eyes and heart
are immediately stolen by Rain (Guey Lun-Mei), an
elegant, charming flirt who first happens upon Jay
in the school's aged piano room. The two begin a cute,
casual romance that's defined by secrets. Basically,
Rain keeps them, starting with her name, then extending
them to other things like where she goes, what she
does, and why she's always absent from class. Since
she's so effervescent and attractive, Jay is immediately
smitten.
Jay has a secret too, but
I'll give it away: his dad is a teacher at the school,
and he's played by Anthony Wong in an amusing performance
that's vintage Wong. Jay also has some friends at
school who aren't as amusing, and even qualify as
annoying and bothersome. Some of these characters
are played by Chou's Taiwanese pop music pals. Since
this is a Jay Chou production (besides starring and
directing, he penned the original story and contributed
the music), it's only understandable that Chou make
room for some of his buddies as well as his pet obsessions,
especially music. Chou becomes the class celebrity
when he kicks ass in a "piano battle", which is as
entertaining as it is patently manufactured. Basically,
Chou outfoxes his opponent on the ivory keys, winning
the hearts of the girls and the guys, while still
remaining cool and sheepish in that inimitable Jay
Chou way. Chief among his admirers is the pretty Sky
(Alice Tzeng), who starts to crush on Jay big time.
But Jay only has eyes for Rain.
Or does he? Despite getting
along swimmingly with Jay, Rain soon gets the idea
that Jay is two-timing her with Sky. This is due to
your standard crossed wires and mistaken circumstances,
but the misinterpreted event is enough to throw a
massive crush-killing wrench into their puppy love.
That would probably be a terrible thing to behold
if not for the fact that the relationship up until
then was hardly inspiring. Jay Chou and Guey Lun-Mei
have decent chemistry, but the relationship between
their characters never seems that deep. There's a
manufactured quality to the dialogue that makes their
supposed love a bit unconvincing, and without more
acute emotions the film begins to drag.
Sadly, part of this is the
fault of Jay Chou, the actor. Chou possesses a certain
likable charm, but his presence hardly screams "passion."
His demeanor is just too remote; Chou tries hard,
but he can't convey a complete range of emotions.
Shoring things up, however, is Guey Lun-Mei. When
she initially appears, she acts too much like an idealized
good girl flirt to be real; it's like she's some manufactured
idea of what perfect high school romance should be.
However, as it turns out, there's a reason for her
bizarre flirtatious behavior, and as the film divulges
more of the hows and whys, Guey is given a chance
to convey emotions that prove heartbreaking. Her screen
presence is refreshing and her emotions genuinely
moving; if Secret manages to affect, Guey Lun-Mei
is a large reason why.
The revelation of the film's
eponymous secret is what gives Guey the chance to
really affect the audience - and yet it's also when
the movie starts to lose its credibility. The mechanism
behind the film's secret is never known, but the logic
of how it works is explained explicitly, such that
every incident and action in the film needs to fit
a set of rules explained by the characters and depicted
by the events themselves. But the film ultimately
doesn't adhere to its convictions, eventually twisting
events to fit desired emotions and skirting around
the rules that they've laid out for us. The film gives
us a gooshy denouement, but it's only touching because
it fits some sort of predetermined audience expectation,
and not because it surprises or really affects. Some
people may be happy with how Secret ends. But
does the film earn its ending? I don't think that
it does.
At least Secret is
a very pretty ride. On artifice alone, the film is
aces, serving up beautiful art direction, cinematography
and music. Jay Chou really knows how to compose a
tune; the film's original music is genuinely stirring,
and preexisting pieces are well-chosen and evocative
of the film's innocent romantic mood. Secret serves the senses exceptionally well - so much so,
that it's almost tragic when it ultimately throws
logic out the window. Jay Chou and company have created
a nice little valentine, but their desire to give
the film more weight eventually leaves it adrift.
The film barrels towards its intended goal with little
regard for common sense, leaving the audience with
nothing besides the pretty pictures and people to
shore it up.
Amazingly, that gambit is
more successful than not, and Guey Lun-Mei practically
drags the film across the finish line herself. Without
her the film would probably sink beneath its own self-importance,
as its manufactured sheen and occasionally miscalculated
choices render the film little more than a superficially
gorgeous pure love diversion for teen girls and the
boys they drag to the cinema along with them. That'll
probably do just fine for most, since "manufactured
diversion" seems to be a standard expectation for
many modern moviegoers. Secret will probably
score well with its intended teen audience, especially
if they take in the film as a single, one-off experience.
Further viewings would only reveal the film's holes
to be gaping and perhaps intolerable, but upon first
glance, Secret is pretty and polished enough
to charm. (Kozo 2007) |
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