Comrades, Almost a Love Story (1996)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

A different way of telling a story

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

"Almost a Love Story" is known as a classic among the Asian countries, not just China or Hong Kong. However, I somehow missed watching it until 2014(!) perhaps because I was not too eager to see yet another uninspiring romantic comedy, which seems to have been the norm for quite some time now in the cinema world. After seeing every combination of the romantic comedy formula for years, I did not expect much out of "Almost," which admittedly has plenty of its own cliché's and coincidences. But despite those, the movie still manages to be achingly beautiful and heart-taxingly stark in its depiction of the human condition. This movie may especially shock the Westerners who are used to "clean" and neat romantic love stories. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it as soon as possible.

This fable of comrades (i.e. people from Mainland China migrating to Hong Kong in pursuit of their dreams) and lovers Maggie Cheung and Leon Lai is generally enjoyable, although at times I found it hard to believe, as it relies a lot on luck, coincidence and predestination. It may be that luck protects those with a noble soul, surely the spirit of Teresa Teng must have watched over the two comrades from a very close point of view!The first half is very entertaining and energetic, as it follows the ups and downs of the protagonists, as they experience the frenetic life of Hong Kong, with its fast jobs, fast money and fast food. At the same time, Leon and Maggie also discover the negative aspects of their stay: the stock market landslides and, more over, the loneliness of living alone in a big city. Inevitably, they fall in love with each other and yet try to remain detached, as they have way too different aspirations: Maggie Cheung is a business-oriented girl, while Leon Lai is more idealistic and, more over, is already engaged. Among the most memorable moments is the bunch of wishes that the two comrades exchange, in celebration of the New Lunar Year! The arrival of Leon Lai's girlfriend to HK marks a big change of pace in the movie, as an ocean of problems, sorrows and regrets await the two protagonists: second half is very melodramatic, be warned! Anyway, the movie is definitely worth the viewing, if it were only for the thorough portrait of Hong Kong it offers. 7/10

This movie made me moved at all,two young people coming from mainland went to Hong Kong looking for their dreams ,although they might lose a lot of things. At the end of the movie ,they sat in the street of America ,hearing the news of deng li jun's death,.a story ended,but another story began.

An unusual and illuminating portrayal of crossed destinies and the fate of love supremely played with tenderness and compassion by Leon Lai and Maggie Cheung. Their performances are heartbreaking to witness and bring a dignity to life's ordinary events. This story went right through me and will be one of the most memorable and poignant films I've ever seen. This makes it to the top ten in romantic love stories and should not be missed. The beauty of this film lies in capturing the understated layers of emotions which pass between two people who are destined to be together but have yet to figure it out. Peter Chen is a magnificent director whose sensitive style of filmmaking make all the difference in others who try too hard. An absolutely brilliant way to restore the faith in the universal language of love.