What does it mean to truly love someone? I think the real test of love might be standing by your partner, no matter what happens. To not only be there when things are fun and games, but to also stand by someone’s side when things might take a turn for the worse. Some people might go into a relationship not really expecting anything to happen, to think everything will always be the same. But what happens when the person you love, turns into someone completely different. Would you still remain by his or her side? In the movie The Stolen Years, it is this premise that is the heart of this movie.

He Mann is a woman who is happily married to the true love of her life Xie Yu. All seems to be going well, but then tragedy strikes. After a terrible accident He Mann wakes up in a hospital only to find out that her memory is partially gone. All she remembers is her love for Xie Yu, but then she finds out that the both of them have been divorced for quite some time. Not knowing what happened she eventually turns to her former husband, who has since moved on with a new girlfriend. However, it turns out that not all of his feelings for his ex wife have disappeared. Will the former two lovers be reunited, or is time running out?

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Now for those of you that have been following my blog for quite some time, you know that I am an enormous lover of Asian cinema. As such I am open to pretty much everything, be it martial arts, or a drama movie. This movie was recommended to me by a very good friend of mine (you know who you are), and I am glad that she did. This movie isn’t perfect, and honestly won’t win any movie of the year awards. But what it does do right, is quite a lot. A movie such as this can only work when there is a chemistry between the two leads. And that chemistry is definitely there between the two actors Bai Baihe and Joseph Chang. Both of them play their roles very well and deserve a high amount of praise.

I won’t lie to you, this movie can only be classified as a tearjerker. At the end of the movie things become really sad and quite depressive. However the strength of the story is what saves it from ultimately becoming too heavy. It will make you think a lot about what you would do when someone you love more than life itself becomes ill, or even changes from the person who you once knew. I think everyone would probably react differently were such a situation ever to arise, but I think what it all comes down to in the end, is that love can pretty much conquer everything. This might sound like an incredible cliche, but I do like to believe that this is usually the case.

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As I said in the beginning this movie isn’t perfect. Certain scenes feel just a bit too dramatic for their own good, and a strange musical scene towards the end of the movie feels a little awkward. All in all though, this movie is well worth watching, even though I would probably keep a box of tissues right next to you. You might need them. If you are a fan of Asian cinema, decent acting, and a strong story, you might want to check this one out. If the thought of a lovestory or tearjerkers makes you want to run away, than this movie will not change your opinion on that, and you had best avoid it.

I give The Stolen Years a 8 out of 10 score.