We follow the lives of roommates Chan (Takeshi Kaneshiro - Fallen Angels) and Yau (Aaron Kwok - 2000AD). Although they live under the same roof their personalities are quite different. Chan is a shy and quiet piano tuner while Yau is a loudmouthed young man who's aspiring to be a writer. Into their lives and their apartment building comes Mok (Kelly Chan - Metade Fumaca) and what we get to experience next is an ordinary and realistic love story of the almost outermost enchanting kind...

It's easy to end up being a bit divided regarding one's opinion of Anna Magdalena. The structure of the movie consists of 4 parts and it's in the last one that things really take a left turn. I don't want to go into details but one of our main characters has written a book whose content actually plays out in front of us viewers. Hai Chung Mans direction have been very straightforward up to this point, something which have worked very well for this story. In part four he does pretty well in terms of his work as a director but the pacing is slightly wrong. To me it needed a bit of editing to work along with the rest of the movie...

...which is an absolute world class love drama! Ivo Ho has written a screenplay about ordinary people like you and me and I bet that anyone can relate to these people and the events taking place in their lives. It's absolutely crucial that a thing like cinematography can reflect this and that task was left upon Academy Award winner (for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) Peter Pau to perform. He has, together with the director, chosen to light some things the way they would look and that creates a very real and genuine atmosphere, something I always appreciate. Some DOPs have a tendency to use light and colours when it's not suiting for the story at hand and the sign of a well photographed film is when you don't really notice it. Peter Pau has certainly passed that criteria.

Among the three main actors, Takeshi Kaneshiro not surprisingly impresses the most. To put it simply, he must play a man of ordinary and realistic proportions, aspects he performs so perfectly. Very understated performance with nuances some viewers may actually not pick up on. Aaron Kwok is an actor who is probably best known for his roles in action oriented films like Stormriders, but here he shows a slight bit more versatile side to his acting. The character of Yau is someone we can laugh at, be annoyed by but also admire and Aaron looks like he's having fun taking this arc on.

Kelly Chan is as always stunningly beautiful but it feels like she hasn't quite yet found the timing and charisma that it takes to act out characters like Mok. I do believe that she is still learning and with a few more acting roles under her belt, she could be a very good actress. For the attentive viewer there are a few cameos by some familiar faces such as Eric Tsang, Anita Yuen and Leslie Cheung.

The message, meaning and magic of Anna Magdalena is nailed by Hai Cheung Man. Yet in this almost perfect film, he does slip a bit during the distinctive detour into fantasy land. A niggle that shouldn't prevent anyone from approaching this romance.

One day Chan Kar-fu meets Yau Muk-yan (Aaron Kwok), who has just walked out on his heartbroken girlfriend and is now homeless because of this. Yau Muk-yan is a novice writer who likes to brag about his masterpiece novel that he hasn't even began to put down on paper yet. He doesn't work and practically doesn't have a penny to his name. Although he's something that's close to a bum on the streets, he still has his way with people, especially women, with his good looks and smooth-talking womanizer approach.

Since Yau Muk-yan doesn't have a roof over his head, he manages to temporarily stay at Chan Kar-fu's pad since the two hit it off when they first meet. As far as Chan Kar-fu's concerned, Yau Muk-yan is an all right guy, so why not.

One day, a beautiful babe named Mok Man Yee (Kelly Chen) moves into a room right above Chan Kar-fu's place. Her amateur piano skills are immediately heard the following morning and wake Chan Kar-fu and Yau Muk-yan. Yau Muk-yan becomes irritated by the constant piano noise. Chan Kar-fu, curious about the familiar sounding tune, deals with it.

Angry as hell, Yau Muk-yan takes action and knocks on her door to complain. It appears that both of them are on their way to becoming enemies, but hidden deep inside them is an instant attraction. Mok Man Yee falls for Yau Muk-yan and vice-versa. And yep, you guessed it - Chan Kar-fu also has fell for Mok Man Yee the moment he laid eyes on her. Unfortunately, Yau Muk-yan has already won her heart, which leaves Chan Kar-fu not only heartbroken, but a little bitter for his friendship towards Yau Muk-yan.

It appears to be another one of the cliched 'nice-guy loses, bad-guy wins' scenarios but "Anna Magdalena" goes beyond that in one of the strangest ways I've ever seen.

It's almost safe to say that "Anna Magdalena" is a 2-for-1 movie deal. First is the telling of a lighthearted love triangle between Chan Kar-fu, Yau Muk-yan and Mok Man Yee. Second is an odd apocalyptic-like fantasy, from the creative mind of Chan Kar-fu, which tells the story of "O" (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and "X" (Kelly Chen) - influenced by Chan Kar-fu's feelings towards his situation for Mok Man Yee. In between the two stories, is a very small subplot that involves a proof-reader trying to convince her boss (of a publishing company) that Chan Kar-fu's story of "X and O" is fresh, unusual and should be printed.

Overall, "Anna Magdalena" is entertaining, funny and different. If you're expecting a straight-forward romantic comedy, you're in for a big surprise. The ending isn't happy or sad, it's sorta just ends. For some, this leaves a big, fat "?" for their concluding thoughts on the film. For others, it may be solid and satisfying. I guess it all depends on the way you look at it.

The all-star cast featuring Takeshi Kaneshiro, Kelly Chan and Aaron Kwok give great performances. Also look out for a few cameos by Anita Yuen, Leslie Cheung, Eric Tsang Chi-Wai and Jacky Cheung. I was actually surprised with Aaron Kwok portrayal of "Yau Muk-yan". He seemed to play the part like a pro, which makes you wonder how close his real-life traits are to the role. Also featured in is Kelly Chen's beautiful love ballad, "Lover's Concerto". Talk about a beautiful voice.

Recommended.

"Anna Magdalena" starts off conventionally enough. Chan (Kaneshiro) and Yau (Kwok) are complete opposites. Chan is a decent, hardworking guy who doesn't have much luck with the ladies. Yau is the type that could have any girl he wants, and yet couldn't care less if he breaks their hearts. In fact, when the two meet, Yau is in the process of ditching a gal. But through a series of events, mainly revolving around Yau's irresponsibility, they become roommates and friends.

But things get complicated the day Mok (Chen) moves into their apartment building. Chan is immediately smitten with her (not that I blame him - it is Kelly Chen after all) but he's too nervous to talk to her. And it doesn't help that she holds the two friends in no small amount of contempt. And it really doesn't help matters when Yau takes an immediate disliking to Mok and her constant (and poor) piano playing. But soon enough, Chan finds himself the odd man out as Yau and Mok inexplicably begin growing closer after Mok's apartment catches on fire.

Told in a series of movements that introduce the characters and develop their relationships, "Anna Magdalena" is certainly charming enough, if not a little pedestrian, for the first three-fourths or so. There's nothing revolutionary going on, and there's certainly no great amount of gripping drama. But as the film progresses, you start to feel for Chan, to really hope he gets his act in gear before he loses any chance with Mok. And the movie's use of Bach's "Notebook For Anna Magdalena" as a haunting parallel of Chan's feelings lends it a certain poignancy.

Eventually, Mok comes face to face with Yau's womanizing ways, but she still can't shut him out completely. Even though she turns him away, they eventually end up in eachother's arms again and, in what might be the movie's most moving scene, finally shut out Chan. That's when Chan finally makes his move, and that's where the movie just, well, gets weird. Unable to confront Mok personally, he writes a story about his desire and gets it published. But rather than just tell us, director Chung-Man Hai decides to show us Chan's story in the movie's 4th and final movement.

Told in a dreamlike sequence that plays like bad children's fantasy, 2 adventurers named Cross (Chen) and Zero (Kaneshiro) embark on an adventure to fulfill a ghost's long lost love. When they are unable to fulfill their mission, Cross And Zero decide to do the next best thing (or so they think). They start a company that will help others express their love when they can't, a sort of singing valentine service. And it's as bad as you can imagine.

While I was interested, and even attached, to the movie, the moment I saw Cross and Zero launch into a horrible lovesong I just wanted it to end. I wanted to go back to the movie I had been watching. Yes, "Anna Magdalena" is about unrequited love, but I don't need song and dance numbers and a subpar adventure story to reinforce that.

This little story within a story concept is novel, but it's something "Anna Magdalena" never recovers from. Whereas the first three-fourths had developed slowly, the fantasy sequence is all madcap and mayhem. It's over the top and rambunctious, and throws everything that comes afterwards completely off-balance, and undoes everything that occurred beforehand.

Furthermore, a new character (the editor that puts out Chan's novel) is introduced, complicating things moreso. She just hovers on the movie's periphery, and you're never sure if you should keep waiting for her proper introduction. And Yau drops completely out of view, only to suddenly reappear in the last 10 minutes or so, tie up all of the loose ends, and bring about the hollow, contrived ending.

When I first saw the sub-story coming, I thought it would be an interesting look at Chan's unexpressed desire. I was even looking forward to it. While I liked the first 3 movements, I was unsure how the movie would resolve itself. I felt like this might be an interesting way to brings things to a close. But as it went on and on and on, I realized that I made a big mistake.

I suppose it might come across that I don't like romantic movies, but that's a bit of a misnomer. What I don't like are the treacly, manipulative pieces of drivel that are normally associated with the genre. If I'm going to feel for the characters, I want it to be because they're genuinely likable, and not because the movie tries to make me.

Ultimately, "romantic" movies rest on their characters. Their interactions, hopes, and heartaches, and the success with which they can make the viewer identify with those things, is what drives these movies. But rather than trust in these things, "Anna Magdalena" would rather place its faith in gimmicks.