Soul Mate (2016)

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Soul Mate is a film based on the same name novel in China. The film focuses on the bond between Li Ansheng and Lin Qiyue. The friendship of the two main characters started when they were thirteen, they have been best friends since then . They thought they would be in each other’s life for each milestone; however, the appearance of Su Jia Ming became the turning point of their friendship.

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The genre of Soul mate undoubtedly lies on romantic and teen film. This kind of film especially appealing to the taste of Hong Kong audience, as we can see the big hit of You Are The Apple of My Eyes and A Little Happiness in Hong Kong. However, rarely did these big hits are produced by Hong Kong producers or directors. As for Soul Mate, local producer Peter Chan together with Hong Kong director Derek Tsang, it is one of a few teen films that draw the attention of audience across Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. Although the film is not set locally in Hong Kong, memories of audience surely flush back on their mind; an unforgettable friendship with their best friends, the first love in high school, all these attributes bring audience back in time to their teen age. It explains why the film is popular among the young adults.    Soul Mate is the second films that directed by Derek Tsang. His first work Lover’s Discourse did not give audience a strong impression on his directing style, but Soul Mate definitely give surprises movie lovers.

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The ingenious use of close-up shots not only stand out the personalities of the two main actresses, it also presents the two extreme personalities of two young ladies. Some even comments that the techniques being used are with the great characteristics of Wong Kar Wai’s film - to demonstrates characters’ personalities in details by using many numbers of close-up shots. The presentation by Tsang is an exquisite reversal. The perspectives being used in Soul Mate is another breakthrough of Director Tsang. It is hard to image Director Tsang as a man, can put his shoes into the perspectives of women. Scenes such as Li and Lin looking at each others; they sleep   in bed to have girls’ talk and etc, audience can easily be moved by the angles being used by Director Tsang. It is no doubt that most of the young ladies can find their old selves in the movie.


Music is another element that can highlight the plots of the film. According to Sfetcu (2014), ‘the most common type of music heard on a film soundtrack, is music composed and placed to enhance the desire emotions of a scene, be it positive or negative. The original song of this film Soul Mate is played alongside at the beginning the movie, it act as an indicator to bring the audience into the emotions, to feel the ironic but emotional of the friendship between Ansheng and Qiyue.
All in all, Soul Mate is a film to guide you back in time, to bring up all your emotion.

Man Siu Ting