imaseed

I watched "Our 18x2 Youth: Journey Towards You" during the early afternoon hours of summer, in the sweltering heat, fighting against drowsy sleepiness, but miraculously, the 120-minute film still made me feel warm, right in the middle of a hot summer day. A Taiwanese film in collaboration with Japan, featuring names that guarantee youth cinema, should have set very high expectations for me, but strangely, before and while entering the theater, I still didn't expect too much excitement or surprise from this film. Perhaps thanks to that, I could let myself drift into Jimmy's journey without a destination to Japan, immerse in the love story of two people who loved each other but never expressed it in words, in an atmosphere full of poetry and beautiful, shimmering scenes set in misty Japan and Taiwan lit up with lights.

"Our 18x2 Youth" first and foremost is still a love story. It's not a different, unique story that has never appeared on screen, because essentially, any love story, whether in films or real life, is similar, all originating from the same wonderful feelings. Jia Ming's first love came unexpectedly amid such heartfelt stirrings; one could say he was struck by love at first sight on a clear day, when a basketball, which was also his childhood dream, slowly rolled to the feet of a Japanese girl. Then, the story is told through Jimmy's dreams, revisiting his memories, continuing like that, with summer seeming to stretch endlessly. Jimmy recalls the story of his first love, remembers Jia Ming, the young man full of passion but easily shy and embarrassed when standing before his first crush, remembers the trips on his motorbike around small Tainan, much smaller compared to places Jimmy visited later, but also more special, much more. At that time, Jia Ming was 18 years old, not knowing what he dreamed of, not knowing what the future would hold, what the destination of his life would be. Now, Jimmy is 36, pausing his career pursuit to embark on a new journey, to find himself, to find the woman he loves. The section with the shifting perspective and narrator, with the separate story from Ami's narrative, wasn't really surprising, but it was like the way something expected finally arrives, filling my soul and longing. It turns out both were oriented towards each other; it turns out there are loves in this world where no one confesses because they both understand, no need for words, no need for kisses, words of love, no need for affirmation or confirmation. They just loved each other, peacefully like that, sadly like that, soaked in tears. That was first love, those were the feelings, also the warmth, the light, the cherry blossom rain falling forever, the snowflakes covering their lives, until much later.

"Our 18x2 Youth" is also a story about trips, about journeys. The truth about itinerary in the film is a very poetic association, but extremely simple. Each trip is actually a stroll in a new land, to interact with new people, new cultures, to fall in love with a strange place, to look back at ourselves, to love ourselves, to love where we were born. Traveling is wandering, steps without a destination, feeling throughout the journey we take, preserving scenes only we can see, moments that exist only for an instant. Both Jimmy and Ami wished their journey would never stop; they wrote their wish on a lantern released into the sky. I believe their dream will come true and has already come true, because each life is a journey, we travel without knowing where we'll go, that journey is also like a visit, an expedition, observing humanity, feeling love, loving lands, people, life. More profound than a trip to Taiwan, Japan, or around the world, the film also conveys the human ideal of living, we keep moving forward, resting is to start a new journey, perhaps that's what the filmmaker wanted to convey?

And, finally, "Our 18x2 Youth" is a collaboration between Taiwan and Japan. Therefore, I could clearly feel the culture of both countries skillfully interwoven throughout the love story, about youth and growth, about messages in journeys. Taiwan, Tainan simple, vibrant, bright with lights from night markets, bearing the features of a rural area; Taipei hurried on electric trains, modern under neon lights, bustling, busy. Japan in a noodle shop at night, hidden in pure white snow, passing on trains crossing rivers, dreamy with cherry blossom rain, sparkling with lanterns released into the high sky. Not just cultural interchange in landmarks, geographical areas, the feeling and atmosphere have very slight changes, but harmonious throughout the film. The art of filming is distinct, soothing and gentle from beginning to end, the flexible tone shifting between cold and warm for scenes alternating between present-past, adulthood-youth, 18-18x2, frames creating a feeling of confinement in a box with settings stretching far away, the subtlety in mixing light, film rhythm fast and slow, colors... All contributed to creating a film as beautiful as a Japanese animation, covered with the nostalgic breath commonly seen in Japanese and Taiwanese films, a unique quality no one can copy.

Final words must praise the actors in the film. All were very natural; Greg Hsu perhaps has received enough praise to build several cities, truly a box office guarantee. I often joke that just having him participate in a role means the filmmaker has already succeeded halfway. The difference between Jimmy and Jia Ming sometimes made me think they were two different people (just exaggerating haha). The actress playing Ami was also very beautiful; she played her role perfectly, cute and full of first love vibes always. In general, the good chemistry comes from the accomplished acting of both actors :D

Despite all this praise, I don't think I really empathized much with the film, so it was hard for me to have as many emotions as I expected. I couldn't feel too much pleasure in traveling, although the film did make me want to travel a bit more, nor could I deeply absorb the profound love between the two (it had only been a month, sigh). I yawned quite a bit during the beginning, the storytelling wasn't very smooth, many shots made me wonder why they transitioned scenes like that, the tears near the end of the film were a bit forced... Anyway, the film deserves its current success, but perhaps it's not underrated at all.