Chow (Leon Lai) and Yuet (Faye Wong) break up their seemingly perfect relationship. Due to them sharing the same client, elderly Mr. Man, in their respective line of work (he being the family doctor and she organizing Mr Man's birthday party), their paths cross frequently and Chow realizes he still has strong feelings for Yuet. Yuet on the other hand is hurt and is moving on, while he is moving in....across the street.

The Shanghai Tourist Association surely must be thoroughly happy with Leaving Me Loving You, Faye Wong fans as well but Wilson Yip fans shouldn't be thoroughly be in all honesty. Leaving Me Loving You is a romance and most movie romances doesn't resemble reality very much so if it feels manufactured, it's very much so in intent and can still take on a life if properly focused on by the filmmakers. For this film, Yip clearly was going to use as much means as possible available to him via mainstream filmmaking while presenting a simple romantic tale. An intriguing choice if you ask me and Leaving Me Loving You really is an eye popping, attractive package in many ways. The cinematography by Pun Yiu Ming is so colourful, glossy and professional that you instantly wonder if director Yip is really doing the better of his work for the city of Shanghai rather than to the fans of his films. In the end, after the first act really is exhaustingly visual, that aspect isn't what is disappointing.

It holds no complex themes or messages and chooses a nice low-key way of presenting Chow and Yuet's problems as a couple. Scriptwriter Kwok Tsz Min brings up issues of commitment fear but the central one, about letting go too fast is really the main theme. Love surely can be so overwhelming that you go through the cycles of it way too fast. The latter holds true for Leon Lai's Chow who, as we learn in short flashbacks and dialogue, ended him and Yuet because he thought he saw flaws. Since the two are handling the same client, he's constantly reminded of the beauty he left behind and his naive decision becomes very apparent, to us and him.

That plot strand has much possibilities for director Yip to work wonders with but he never seems to be able to ignite it. Not until we're very late into the film that is and therefore he has to rush to tie things up Character developments are indeed expected ones but this mentioned sprint through the last act still rings of running time restraints. Otherwise, the character dynamic between Chow and Yuet works reasonably well as she is a rather hard sell in terms of contemplating Chow's suggestions to try once more. She isn't about to let that wound open again and she clearly was hurt by the sudden breakup. The backstory romance is touched upon in flashbacks but I felt Yuet's part in the relationship was missing. Was she really the perfect girlfriend and Chow a complete idiot for breaking up or was there any other reason? It leans towards the first but we do see hints of, maybe arrogance in the way she acts professionally and that may have been a perfectly good reason for Chow to break up. Yip achieves the biggest success when the two are all alone on screen and not influenced much by the visuals or the supporting cast. There sadly is too much of the latter for my tastes and what the movie therefore may have needed was added length, to focus even more on Chow and Yuet.

The score by Mark Lui is one of the flaws of the film as it's so relentlessly pounding over the big shots of Shanghai that you wonder if you missed feeling some emotions the filmmakers did themselves. It actually betters itself as we get more into the two person-romance and choices here in the simplest form produces nice atmospherics.

Actors Leon Lai and Faye Wong does fare well and display a nice, cold chemistry that speaks that suitable volumes about their relationship. Leon is slightly more expressive than usual but this is a film that caters more to his calm persona so he's not called upon much out of the ordinary. Faye Wong, in a rare screen appearance, is so beautiful that the movie becomes worthwhile just to see how Pun Yiu Ming will shoot her next. Also, she does perform Yuet in a good way, not missing to convey that sense of not giving in and remembering what harm was done to her inside instead. Fine support comes from the elderly actor (sorry, don't know the gentlemen's name) playing Mr. Man.

I wouldn't regard Leaving Me Loving You as a setback for Wilson Yip as he clearly had some ideas that didn't manage to be executed as well as he had hoped for. It's all about taking risks and I feel there was well-intent behind the project, which also involved actor Leon Lai to a larger degree behind the scenes (he shares story credit with Yip and acted as creative director). In the end, Leaving Me Loving You is slightly better than most romances out of Hong Kong lately and opting to be a slightly more mature one is a choice I always welcome. Yip's career is far from over though and fans have not yet, and should never forget his already produced classics out of the drama genre. There will be more opportunities for him to shine in the future. The city of Shanghai in this film thoroughly shine but not enough to save the film that only occasionally sparkles.

In the middle of the vast, pulsating city of Shanghai, a couple are about to break up. Chow (Lai), a doctor, meets with event organiser Yuet to discuss their future, or, more appropriately, the closure of their love. After the two go their separate ways, their only subsequent meetings are strictly professional; Yuet acts as the creator for an elaborate surprise birthday party for an elderly tycoon while Chow is his personal doctor. As their necessary dealings with each other increase, Chow begins to regret his decision and pines away for his lost love. Yuet, meanwhile, is nursing a broken heart and refuses to allow herself to feel close to her ex-boyfriend once again. Nevertheless, their own love is constantly put into perspective by the various people who share their life.

The one definite virtue of 'Leaving Me, Loving You' is that it makes the city of Shanghai look utterly breathtaking. Although I don't doubt that the city is indeed a beautiful setting, I doubt whether the Chinese government could produce a more enticing travel documentary for potential tourists to the city. Cinematographer Pun Yiu Ming bathes the shots of the city in such exquisite colours and highlights the grandeur of it alongside the jaw-dropping views taken from a few notable vantage points. Unfortunately, the fact that this is the first attribute of the film that comes to mind speaks volumes for the quality of the more important components.

While there's undoubtedly potential, the fact of the matter is that the story is too thin to be stretched over a full 90 minutes. In addition to this, there's simply no hook to make an ordinary storyline elevate itself above the market; the love/hate idea is not exactly cutting edge though this wouldn't have been such a problem had their been some magical moments to compensate. With Wilson Yip behind the lens an audience should expect a romantic drama with much more substance and humanity - with 'Leaving Me, Loving You' they get neither.

One major difficulty with the narrative is that it's bourgeois love story like every other one. That statement isn't me getting left wing, but as this particularly niche is the obsession of Hollywood and European cinema, 'Leaving Me, Loving You' is devoid of anything that has the flavour of local cinema. In the past, Hong Kong cinema has shown itself to be adept at portraying love stories of the rich and successful and the down to earth, but they always need that local charm to succeed. 'Leaving Me, Loving You' is too shallow to offer this.

Earlier I discussed my indifference to Faye Wong. This isn't the film that will change my mind though. Faye is certainly a beautiful actress, but portrays so little in the way of real warmth that you can see the icicles forming on the television screen. This naturally means that there is little in the way of chemistry between the leads which could be seen as a major weakness for an intended romantic drama (it was released a few days before Valentine's Day). The viewer is therefore left caring very little about the two broken-hearted leads and the duration therefore verges on being a chore. Wilson Yip tries a bit of invention with the storyline, but its not enough for us to stay interested.

As Hong Kong cinema continues its rejuvenation and the troubles of a few years ago are slowly exorcised, directors of Wilson Yip's obvious talent need to push the industry to the next level. 'Leaving Me, Loving You' isn't a film that is going to do that though. The sensitivity and insight that Wilson Yip is known for is lacking as is anything to make the characters interesting. It is therefore sad to report that Wilson Yip's new production is a soul-less effort and, coming shortly after Riley Ip's disappointing 'Elixir Of Love', proof that good film-makers sometimes struggle with the pressures of commercial expectations.