Review | Till We Meet Again movie review: Taiwanese fantasy romance is director Giddens Ko’s best since You Are the Apple of My Eye
- Kai Ko, Gingle Wang and Vivian Sung star in this story of a young slacker who dies in an accident and must earn credit in the afterlife to be reincarnated
- By turns funny, scary, tragic and achingly romantic, the film is as entertaining and accessible for international audiences as for director Ko’s devoted fans
4/5 stars
In Giddens Ko Ching-teng’s version of the afterlife, reincarnation isn’t just real, it’s an efficient way to avoid overcrowding in the underworld. But the recently deceased must have earned sufficient goodwill points on Earth to secure their return to the real world, or so it goes in Till We Meet Again, the latest genre-bending offering from the Taiwanese author turned filmmaker.
Lacking the necessary credit to be reincarnated as anything more appealing than a snail, Alan grudgingly signs up to become a trainee love god, alongside Gingle Wang Ching’s similarly dissatisfied high-school girl, Pinky.
Should the mismatched couple bring enough fated lovers together, using magical red string conjured from their fingertips, then they will be reincarnated. Complications arise, however, when Alan’s next target is revealed to be his own heartbroken girlfriend, Mi (Vivian Sung Yun-hua).
Adapted from one of Giddens Ko’s many bestselling novels, Till We Meet Again is propelled by a boundless energy, vibrant visual style and the playful bickering of its two young leads. The fantastical premise draws from ethereal Hollywood classics like A Matter of Life and Death, Heaven Can Wait and even Yuletide favourite It’s a Wonderful Life.
The underworld itself is depicted as a Terry Gilliam-esque bureaucratic labyrinth, run by pencil-pushers and rubber-stamp-wielding civil servants rather than any supreme celestial being. Even in death, Ko would have us believe, there is no escaping red tape.
There is a bizarre, horror-infused subplot involving a rampaging ancient demon (played by Umin Boya) on a mission of revenge that never quite feels connected with the rest of the film. For the most part, however, this chaotic and wildly inventive supernatural romcom fantasy is a big-hearted delight, and deservedly collected awards for hair and make-up and sound effects in November’s Golden Horse Awards in Taipei.
With a film that is by turns funny, scary, tragic and achingly romantic, Ko proves once again his unique understanding of the younger generation; having articulated their passions and anxieties on the page, he has now vividly realising them on the big screen. Till We Meet Again is slick, as entertaining and accessible for international audiences as for Ko’s devoted fans, and should do well at the box office.
As Huey Lewis so rightly said, the power of love is a curious thing, but it might just save your life.
