Sobre o Amor (2005)

Gonna write this review while my mind is fresh! Seems like I've become an ambassador of movies that aren't well-known. I'll make them known! Hahaha... xD This movie was divided into three parts (Japan, Taiwan, and Shanghai, each with a different cast), so I'll address them separately where I see fit, otherwise I'll refer to the film as a whole.

This film was a collaboration between Japan, Taiwan, and Shanghai, so there's a mix of Japanese and Mandarin throughout--in fact, the foundation of this movie is [basically] the manifestation of love despite the language barrier. Now, onwards:

Story:
Japan--I found this one a little awkward, as the two characters didn't have any sort of real interaction. The theme was kind of like "chance encounter," and that shown through to a certain extent. Some parts do feel like "chance", and others, clearly not. The practical side of me is screaming at the absurdity/implausibility of it all.
Taiwan--The language barrier is very evident in this story, and it creates some pretty hilarious moments throughout. I laughed so hard my roommate thought I had problems...The theme for this one is "having someone by your side when you need them".
Shanghai--Probably the sweetest of the three, the main actor for this story showed up in the "Japan" story as well. This one might bring you to tears, if you're that type, while the first and second will probably give you hope and gratitude, respectively. This mini-story has takes a very quick jab at Shanghai's rapid industrialization, which I felt gave this story a leg up above the others (something more than just love, y'know? ...No? XD)

Acting/Cast: The entire cast did their job well (professionals, after all), nothing to complain about, though nothing totally note-worthy. I really liked Ryo Kase (actor of the "Taiwan" mini-story), and the actress in the "Shanghai" mini-story. "Japan" was a bit of a throwaway for me, in general. Cast included.

Music: A+++++. However many pluses I can add onto it. I (probably mentioned before somewhere) that I love traditional Eastern music...and I got my trad'l Ea. music, so I'm a happy bumpkin. The self-titled "biking like mad" scene in "Japan" was the first music track that made me excited to hear the rest. Make sure you listen through the credits too, that song is beautiful!

Rewatch Value: Probably not. I don't usually rewatch in the first place, so there's not much to say.

Overall: A good watch if you're looking for an interesting take on the various facets of love, though you'll have to look somewhere else if you're looking for your everyday romantic comedy because this isn't it. If you're only going to watch one mini-story, watch "Shanghai"! :)

I would've given this movie an overall score of '5', but I liked the last few seconds of "Shanghai" too much, so I added an entire point. *U*

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