As a prominent modern Chinese writer, Yu Dafu went to Japan to study at the age of seventeen, witnessing and experiencing the discrimination against Chinese people by the Japanese. This ignited his ambition for academic pursuit. He was friends with Kōden and both fell in love with a girl named Rong'er. Torn between friendship and love, Yu Dafu ultimately chose friendship, allowing Rong'er to go with Kōden... Later, due to Yu Dafu's experiences and knowledge, the Japanese brutally murdered him. This was the first historical film starring Chow Yun-fat, which, although somewhat raw, received a good response as he portrayed the emotional journey of this famous writer with deep emotion. Director Fang Lingzheng seems to be very fascinated by love stories that transcend the two countries of China and Japan; his later film 'Christ in Nanjing' (starring Tony Leung) is based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, telling the love story between this renowned Japanese writer and a Chinese girl during his visit to China... Director Fang Lingzheng explores two themes here: one is the young Yu Dafu's confusion about sexuality and pursuit of love, and the other is the love and hatred involved in Sino-Japanese national issues. The former is expressed romantically and implicitly, capturing the essence of Eastern artistic films, with some segments embodying the fresh and ethereal feeling of European love films. Meanwhile, the latter expresses a strong patriotic fervor that moves the audience. Most of the film was shot on location in Japan, and the cinematographer Chen Peijia performed outstandingly, achieving a high standard in framing, color matching, and camera movement. The visual effects approach that of Japanese art films. The director and writer perform well in this film, skillfully delving from surface-level showiness into coordination with the content, making it a good movie.
