Frequent filmmaking partners Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai collaborated once more to adapt Jimmy Liao’s illustrated book “A Chance of Sunshine” in the high-energy romantic comedy “Turn Left, Turn Right.” Warner Bros. Pictures notably produced and distributed this Hong Kong production, marking their first Chinese-language Asian film production. Set predominantly in Taipei, Taiwan, it meticulously adapts the source material to frame-by-frame details while maintaining its poetic direction, albeit more comical here.
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Our story follows aspiring violinist John Liu and translator Eve Choi, who recently moved to Taipei. They live in two buildings right next to each other, separated by a wall. While pursuing their ambitions, they eventually cross paths and hit it off. Yet, despite this destined love at first sight for John and Eve, fate keeps them apart through one circumstance after another, despite their continuous attempts to reunite and develop their romantic feelings.
Based on the plot synopsis, “Turn Left, Turn Right” sounds like a fairly cliched feature, and in some aspects, it is. Yet, Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai manage to take the cliches often affiliated with love-at-first-sight storylines and add some creative twists to them. How our protagonists meet is straightforward, but the audience gradually sees the passion that ignites within them as the story progresses. While John and Eve are not overtly complex characters, they are relatable enough that viewers can become invested in them and the romantic feelings that blossom within the two.
Both of them have their passions career-wise. Yet, they feel socially isolated as they deal with personal insecurities and strive to find someone to connect with while in an environment that is still fairly foreign to them, which adds dramatic weight to their conflict of trying to reunite. It’s to the point that they manage to have a believable romance, thanks to a commendable screenplay by Ka-Fai along with Yau Nai-Hoi, Au Kin-Yee, and Yip Tin-Shing. Additionally, the film is quite funny, ranging from having high-energy humor to more nuanced laughs. When it needs to be more dramatic, it does the more serious sections fairly well.
The exceptionally good performances by Takeshi Kaneshiro and Gigi Leung elevate the two main characters to being more than superficial romantic leads. Through the direction and the actors’ performances, John Liu and Eve Choi are a step above the usual leading roles one can expect from a standard rom-com. It helps that their chemistry and growing passionate love for one another is believable, despite how frequently apart they are throughout the film. As for the romantic foils in our protagonists’ quest to reunite, Ruby and Dr. Hu could have easily brought the film’s quality down in the hands of a lesser filmmaker. Yet, Terri Kwan and Edmund Chen have just enough comedic levity to help them stand out as memorable jealous antagonists.
Both directors complement one another in handling the film’s production side. Cheng Siu-Keung shoots Taipei in all its glory, making the city feel all the bigger as John and Eve strive to see each other again. The spot-on editing further enhances this. There are also some impressive set pieces throughout the film, such as the apartments the two leads live within. There’s even a sparing use of special effects during a twist in the final act. Additionally, the way music is incorporated into the narrative, whether the score by Ben Cheung and Chung Chi Wing or the pop songs, adds a nice touch.
Perhaps “Turn Left, Turn Right” lacks originality. Yet, Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai manage to take a fairly cliched storyline and inject amusing creativity to help it stand out amongst standard rom-com fare, further catapulted by good acting. In addition to delivering some laughs, it also succeeds with touching drama.
