By Linh Phung
BREAK UP CLUB features mainstream Chinese actor Jaycee Chan and popular TVB actress and singer Fiona Sit in a romantic, bitter sweet comedy. No, it’s not your typical chick flick, but rather a intricate film capturing the complexities of a couple’s relationship in this digital age. Jaycee plays Joe, a dim-witted but hopeless romantic who attempts to get back his girlfriend Flora (Fiona Sit) through this website called “Break-Up Club”. He has to type in a familiar couple’s name to break them up. By doing so, he can get Flora back. Cruel? Yes. But how far does one go when it comes to pursuing true love?
Undoubtedly, Flora comes back to Joe, but it is unclear whether it is the works of the website, fate, or irresistible chemistry between the two. Flora and Joe proceed to a rocky relationship, and she eventually meets another man (Lies played Hiro Hayama). Eventually, she has to choose between two decisions: go with famous graffiti-artist Lies to Barcelona, or stay with unambitious, but endearing Joe?
One of my favorite scenes of this movie was during the car ride conversation between Lies and Flora. He tells her, ”If you want, you can”, Lies tells Flora. She says she’s content being a salesgirl, but her expression says otherwise. She quietly affirms, “If I want, I can”. I loved the dialogue between the characters, great capture of bustling Hong Kong, and the plot. The plot was not predictable, and the ending was one of those open-ended ones, but nevertheless, quite fitting. There are never definite answers to love.
This was definitely one of my favorite, contemporary Hong Kong film. If you’re looking for love, in a relationship, or out of one, watching this film might just inspire you.
