Viajero

The synopsis makes this film sound like an opposites-attract romance, and while there is an element of that, it is more a character study of two young people trying to get ahead in life, while overcoming issues that derive from their respective upbringings.

The story starts out with a puzzle. Why is this ambitious hard-working and extremely bright young woman, who seems to have her act together, going to such lengths to help this ridiculously irresponsible slacker get out of the mess he’s made of his life? She doesn’t come across as all that interested in him romantically (at least not at that stage) and seems to be getting little else out of all that effort.

The answer to this question has several surprising layers that are only gradually revealed over the next couple of hours, as the story moves from one revelation to another. Unfortunately, plot progression is not always as smooth as one would want. The story occasionally stumbles, giving the impression that something was skipped over, and with time-skips that are not always clear.

What makes up for this is the depth that Wang Yi Lu gives to her complex character, in what is easily the best performance I've seen from her since “Twelve Letters”. Victor Qin also does his part. Though for much of the film she is setting the pace, and he simply follows in her wake, he is eventually given the chance to show his own strengths.