The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I have just finished watching it. The emotions came out from deep down in my heart, and I couldn't control myself to stop crying. This is the film of love, reality and dream. It has nothing to do politically with HongKong before or after 1997. It shows the story of two young people who think they are young enough to not choose and avoid love as the dream of life, instead, they pretend to make their 'materialised dreams' come true. However, after their dreams do come true, they are not satisfied. When they turn over their faces, and realise that having each other is the dream. This is a soft and gentle film that in some way affect your heart deep down inside. The struggle the characters experienced are somehow showing the contradictions that all the immigrants would encounter. Those two 'immigrants' from mainland of China into HongKong have the reluctance of choosing between 'dream' or 'love', just like all the foreigners live in a country would have confused with and took the wrong decision. It is difficult to settle into one culture, when meet the people from your hometown, you feel like as if they are closer to you than your family. From the fantastic performance from both two actors, the whole structure of the film is satisfying, and the pace of unwrapping the storyline is as exciting and surprising as the Christmas presents. The love in the film is somehow very 'pure' and 'simple' from the determination and patience that took them years to find each other. Finally, there is only one thing to say: Among the sea of people, 'yuan'--the invisible and chosen force that connect you with the others in a particular way is unchangeable and if you believe it, you will never be able to miss 'the one' for you, no matter what happens, and where you will b. Just ask yourself-- billions of people in the world, why do I meet you not someone else?

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 is one of the best true love stories on film. Maggie Cheung plays Qiao Li, a beautiful woman who has just arrived in Hong Kong. Leon Lai is XiaoJun Li, a young man also new to the city. They quickly become friends and then eventually lovers. The rest of the film follows how they are separated, reunited, and then . . . It's a very touching film and will have you rooting for them. Highly recommended. The English title is, `Comrades, Almost A Love Story'.

This brilliant love epic spans 10 years and traces the star-crossed relationship between two Chinese immigrants who are mysteriously drawn to each other and find comfort in each other's experiences. Though certain coincidences are perhaps unrealistic at first glimpse, the scriptwriters handle it extremely well, embedding them in a believable situation. The direction is flawless, the casting is perfect. Leon's innocent face is exquisite and Maggie's strength and determination deem her a likable heroine. Perhaps slow for non-romantics, this movie paints a beautiful portrait of ideal love, one which surpasses time and place and confirms the ideal belief that certain things are meant to happen in our life. This movie addresses many issues at a level yet unreached by Hollywood and it can really teach westerners a lesson on how to bring out the essence of true love.