So Young (2013)

Really Surprised!

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Expected more

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

As a huge fan of the Asian cinema, then of course I jumped at the chance to sit down and watch "So Young" (aka "Zhi wo men zhong jiang shi qu de qing chun") when I got the chance to do so.The movie is very, very slow paced. And that made it quite an ordeal to actually sit through it.This is a movie that really doesn't have much of any appeal of any kind. And it had a rather pointless story to be bluntly honest. "So Young" had a rather good cast, and they all put on some very good acting performances. The characters in the movie were ones that you didn't really care about. Especially the Zheng Wei character was unfathomably annoying and just frustrating to the point of ruining the movie.I gave up after sitting through one hour of this ordeal of a movie. I just couldn't take it anymore.

Seeing it as an Indian, with zero exposure to Chinese films or culture, the movie beautifully transcended all cultural barriers. Loved the youthfulness of the movie, though the lead character's ebullient nature was at times a little over the top! The college setting was true to life, not clichéd or hackneyed and the relationships forged also came across as genuine. Enjoyed how the four best friends have been given very distinct personalities. Spoiler: Would have liked to know more about the room mate who gets expelled from college. Really liked the way the different subplots came together in the end and that the director opted to leave an open end. And since it made me feel nostalgic about "falling in love", I'd say the movie has been able to convey romance just right!

If you grew up watching Pretty in Pink (1986) and all those brat pack era college movies, it's likely a sign of being over-saturated with the by-products of Western acculturation. Truth be told, it's not often that we think of what high school life must be like, for the Chinese, and this film shows their many travails and hopes in the springtime of youth.In the vein of these coming-of-age college dramas, and portraying the excitements and tribulations of teenage romance in a much better way than the faux-hit that was the Taiwanese Cape No. 7 (2008), Zhao Wei makes her directorial debut with So Young.More commonly known as the titular feisty, spunky princess of the popular Huan Zhu Ge Ge series, Zhao Wei has her character imprinted deep in this film. Originally approached by Xin Yiwu,the author ofTo Our Youth that is Fading Awayto play the lead role, Zhao Wei eventually turned down the acting role to direct the movie.The first 30 minutes of So Young is a hilarious joyride as the camera moves through the seedy, hormone-charged hysteria of the Chinese college hallways. As the audience are given a taste of college dorm life in China through numerous campus shenanigans, we are introduced to the different characters, their relationships and dynamics. It's often the interesting and varied people we meet at school that stay on in our memories, and the fresh cast, made up of many first-time actors, brings tons of character into their different roles. The hot- tempered, boyish Xiao Bei (Liu Yase), demure Ruan Guan (Jiang Shuying), and bookish Chen Xiaozheng (Mark Chao) are but a few who make up the colorful cast. The film scores high in this aspect, evident from the heaps of delight and reactions from an ostensibly amused audience.Yang Zishan, the actress who plays the lead character Zheng Wei, that uncannily sounds like "Zhao Wei," is the star of the movie with her thoroughly loveablespirited, cheeky, girl-next-door demeanour. Her loud, curt airs are uniquely paired with a vulnerable naïveté that steals the show in a moving climax of the film. Partly-inspired by her experiences living in a Chinese college dorm, Zhao Wei portrays these spaces in the film as hothouses for academic excellence, but also the fertile, experimental grounds for teenage angst, passion and innocence. For the parts which could have potentially tipped into the realm of "cheesy," Zhao ingenuously turns them into slapstick laughs. She proves to be quite the savvy producer as well, adding in interesting bits such as the cameo of a popular mainland singer as a radio DJ with a late-night Aunt Agony talkshow, and a side story with a very cathartic payback scene involving Xiao Bei.Many years later, with the shift into adulthood, most of the characters will lose the spunk of their youth. When once they wore their hearts on their sleeves, they have now matured, or rather, become jaded with the harsh realities of life and having to be responsible for themselves and others. Poignantly, one of the film's deeper themes revolve around this resignation, and the bitter realisation of what it means to live "successful" lives and the sacrifices it takes to achieve this lie. It is here that the warm, dreamy hues of young adolescence fade into a cold, sombre grey that characterises a subdued adulthood. It is a stark transition, manifest in the mise-en-scène, and critiqued by many for causing a sudden sag in pacing. Yet, this is where I think the film truly excels, in not only being able to spin the audience wild with its characters' carefree insouciance early on, but to also portray the heart-wrenching life-changing moments that they experience growing up.To add to the free-spirited, whimsical tone of the film, ice queen Faye Wong lends her vocals to the theme song of the film, "To Youth."But be warned, however, watching So Young will have you strongly yearning for your youth.

This movie reminds me of the movie "You Are the Apple of My Eye. Nope, they are not similar in plot, but in the setting. Both are about school days, staying in hostel, growing up, lost time and youth. In fact, if you take a close look, there are certain angles where Zheng Wei (Yang Zishan) resembles Michelle Chen.So if you are a fan of the "Apple of My Eye" movie, I am sure you will love this movie too. Although, I prefer So Young. Perhaps it is because they didn't end with the characters marrying to someone else. I like how there were many surprises in the movie, despite it being a romantic comedy. The little "magical effects" where stories like Princess and the Pea, Cinderella, the Little Matchgirl were added in, making the 80s setting a little dreamier.You will hear a lot of laughter during the movie, not because it is comedic, but how everyone can actually relate to the humor in the film...More photos at http://tiffanyyong.com/2013/06/05/so-young-movie-review/