When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep is a movie that reminds me of why I'm madly in love with Asian drama and Asian movies in the first place; simplicity. I think that Asian drama is really really good with making simple romance movies with great professionalism. There's nothing grand or big or "wow" factor with this movie yet its simplicity is what's going to pull you to watch it.
The Plot/Setting:
Honestly, I love how the movie began with a montage of happy moments of Tung and Ying's relationship and yet quickly moved on to the main conflict of the story: Ying left Tung through a post-it note that says "I'm off to cram school." I love how that started off because it didn't have to go through a lot of nonsense scenes and just already started off with the story's conflict and well, let the story develop from there. Like I said earlier, there's nothing grand with the movie's plot. In fact, it's a simple love story. The partner left the other partner and then we'll witness how the one who got left behind handles this. And because of that simple story, I think the movie is able to tug at heartstrings of film watchers like me who have a certain weakness of simple concepts of plots like this yet presentation wise is able to stretch the film to greater heights.
I love the setting of the movie. It gave that typical "Taipei" feel even if I haven't been to Taipei. Anyway, the setting of the movie is in the famous "cram school" area. And the film is really able to give of that feel. I love how the connections of characters intertwine in the movie. Watching this movie gives the audience a sense of lightness because it doesn't dwell too heavily on the problems, it's not too edgy to begin with. It doesn't drag your dramatic emotions down because it does have that twinge of sadness yet balances it well with the positive aura and comedic elements of the film. I guess being a student and the rise of cram school (or called tutorial centers here) popularity kind of makes me relate to the story. And that's the thing, the story is relatable because it's about MOVING ON. I think the pacing was good and it was able to build on and explore the relationship and experiences of the character.
The Characters/Acting:
I really really love Kai Ko's performance in You're the Apple of My Eye and I loved him more because of When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep. I think Kai Ko as an actor gives the audience a lighthearted feel because of his jolly and fun nature not only because of his character but as an actor as well. I think that he's always able to portray a frustrated character fairly well and develop throughout the story. As for his character, Tung I really really love how he grows and matures and thinks outside of the box in the movie. I like how how he finally overcame the departure of Ying in his life. His job, a photocopy/delivery guy also symbolizes the fact that he gives back items to the people who left them to remind them of their past highlights how we should move on but we also shouldn't abandon our past because we wouldn't be the person we are today because of it. Man-shu's acting is also great, she knows how to act like an awkward character and yet doesn't fail to shine as well. I think that the simplicity of her character also allows her to develop more in the story. Other secondary characters were also given a fair share of their own spotlight.
The Romance:
If there's one thing to say about the romance it, it's not heavy. Actually, it's more of the getting-to-know-you stage of a love story rather than the getting-into-a-relationship love story. We have two people who are brought together because of being left by their previous partners and we see how they both handle the things differently. There's nothing grand about their love story and that's why I like about it. Kai Ko and Man-shu's chemistry is really seen in the screen and their interactions are both fun and serious, not to mention their damn metaphors of paper planes and counting 1-100 or those drawings of a sheep and a wolf.
The Cinematography:
I think that the cinematography is beautiful. I love the combinations of time-warped-slow motions and animations that blend in well with the atmosphere of the film. I love the vibrancy of the colors, it's not too strong it gives a sense of lightness and thus, doesn't make the film look heavy. It's a relaxing sight to see. I think that the scene where students fly the paper planes was really beautiful and I love how it was shot. I love how there was really emphasis on important objects and how the film was able to combine close-ups and long shots together and make it blend well.
The Theme/Message:
Move on. That's the film's central message. You see, Tung is so busy looking for Ying that he didn't realize what he's actually looking for is just Yang. The film tries to show us not to be too caught up in the past, yet we have to keep moving forward and along the way we'll meet someone new. The idea of flight, of freedom and of moving on with the metaphors of the paper planes, the counting of 1-100, the memories of the items that people left behind all highlight this fact.
The Final Verdict:
Overall speaking, When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep is a lighthearted romance with beautiful cinematography and simple plot. Yet it able to deliver a definite message, there's a variety of fun characters and it's a relaxing watch on a raining afternoon combined with coffee.
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