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?
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.
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.
❤
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The premise of this one sounds intriguing. A romance filled with some heavy moments, huh? I’m a sucker for those. I’ll have to remember this one for when I’m craving a love film.
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Nice review! The most modern chinese cinema I’ve seen is probably Beijing Bicycle, so it’s safe to say I’m behind the times.
This sounds like a pretty good movie though. I’m also a sucker for heavy emotional beats in romance stories. I don’t know if I can get over the name of the girl being “He Mann” though 😛 I’m not trying to be culturally insensitive, but that’s too funny.
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Thank you very much 😊Haha 😂😂 Yeah, I know what you mean right. I had to look several times if there wasn’t some subtext somewhere that added ” and the masters of the universe” lol 😂😂
It was a really good movie…Honestly I expected it to be a really melodramatic movie, but it stopped short of becoming to dramatic.
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I saw his movie on a plane on air china. Great review!!!
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Thank you very much. Yes I had honestly not expected to like it this much, but it was very good 😀
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A lot of Asian films are good for me
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Sounds like my kind of movie. I love dramatic romance stories. I might have to hold off a bit because it’s a tearjerker though. Just finished Oh My Geum Bi last night, and I sure shed a lot of tears during those last few episodes! I need some recovery time, hehe 🙂
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Haha, I would really advice you to wait with this one until you have recovered. This one will truly require a lot of tissues, trust me on that 😂😂
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Sounds interesting, but I probably won’t be checking this one out any time soon. My girlfriend of over twenty years is currently battling cancer, so it sounds like it’d hit a little too close to home.
Mind you, I seem to keep watching anime that does the same, so maybe I’m just a glutton for emotional punishment.
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Oh my god….I don’t even know what to say to news such as this. I am so sorry to read this. I can understand that you are going through a really tough time. I hope she will recover my friend. I wish you a lot of strength and take good care of yourself as well. Things like this are ofcourse very tough for your girlfriend, but also very tough for you. Hope good news will head your way soon.
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Thank you. I don’t usually say much about it, because I tend to be a bit on the private side, but yesterday we got the news that treatment may not even be an option. The doctors want to run some more tests, but they can’t say that treatment will even help at this point.
So, ya know, if I vanish for a couple weeks, odds are this is why.
No, I’m dealing with it well. Which just means I’m probably going to avoid a film like this for the next few years, by which I mean the rest of my life.
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Mate, I am so incredibly sorry to hear all this incredibly sad news. I hope with all my heart that some kind of miracle might happen. One can never know. I wish you all the best, and a lot of strength in the days to come.
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We’ve not given up on having another 20 years together. It’s hard, yes, and I admit, I cry a lot, but we are far from giving up yet.
Your support means more than you know to me, and to her. Thank you.
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How long is the movie? I don’t normally watch Asian movies. The ones I watched more were the Hong Kong Dramas which goes for 30-40 episodes hahaha.. and each episodes goes for 45 minutes. My most favorite is called Journey to the West. I love this movie because it deals with Buddha, monks, and a lot of moral teachings. It has monsters, it has people in the sky, angels and devils.. a lot going on. It was created from long ago too which I admire a great deal how people can think of such a thing from so many years ago. If you have time, do watch this.
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Sorry for the late response….The movie is about 1 hour and 40 minutes long. Thank you very much for the recommendation. I have seen a few Chinese dramaseries, and a lot of Korean dramas. I will defintely check this one out, it sounds great 😀
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This doesn’t really sound like my kind of movie though I would probably cry like a baby if I do ever watch. Funnily enough, I remember reading a story with a similar plot. Accident causes selective amnesia and rekindles feelings for the ex. I don’t think I ever finished that either. Romantic drama tend to wear me down fast.
Still, great review! Thanks for sharing.
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Haha…well, this is not my usual type of movie either. I might not have even watched it if it wasn’t recommended to me, but sometimes you get pleasantly surprised when you least expect it. Don’t worry though, my blog won’t turn into a romantic drama blog lol 😂😂
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I’d probably cry watching this.
Thanks for sharing your great review!
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Thank you for the link: appreciate it 😊😊
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I used to watch Asian movies, but the clichés just keep on coming. Rivals galore. It’s exactly the same with shoujo mangas. The plotlines are like, computer generated and all they have to do is fill in the blanks. It’s like, ” here we go, the b*tch is coming…… Yes ! ! She’s here ! Here , on cue . ! “
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I want to see this film.
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