The film's English-language title alludes to the song So Young by the British alternative rock band Suede from their self-titled debut album. In addition to the novel, the film was also based in part by Zhao's own personal college experience in the 1990s.
The film has become a major success at the Chinese box office, grossing over US$118 million with a US$5 million budget.
Plot
Zheng Wei starts her college freshman year as a civil engineer major to be in the same city as her childhood playmate, Lin Jing, whom she is determined to marry one day. When Wei visits Jing at his college dormitory however, Jing's roommate tells her Jing left for America. Unable to understand why Jing abruptly left without saying goodbye, Wei is left confused and heartbroken.Back in her college dormitory, Wei becomes close friends with her three roommates, Ruan Guan, the most beautiful and popular girl in the class; Li Weijuan, a practical and realistic girl who comes from a poor town but determined to marry well; and Zhu Xiaobei, a tomboy. The four girls talk about their goals in life, and all cheer to Ruan Guan's ambition—to have a youth that never fades away.
Wei is befriended by Lao Zhang and his roommate Xu Kaiyang, architecture majors, during the college clubs and activities fair. Kaiyang came from a well-to-do family and starts a romantic pursuit for Wei, but Wei only regards him as a friend. One evening Wei goes to Lao Zhang and Kaiyang's dorm room to borrow their DVDs. Wei is amazed and disgusted by the messy condition of the male dormroom, except one bed and corner that is uncannily neat and clean. Lao Zhang explains that this spot belongs to their disciplined and hardworking roommate, Chen Xiaozheng. Laozhang exits for a moment to find his DVDs, leaving Wei alone in the room. Wei sees a near finished building model on the table and curiously starts fumbling with the parts. At this moment Xiaozheng comes back and angrily yells out, "What are you doing?" Startled and swinging around to see yelled, Wei knocks the model off the table. Xiaozheng manages to save his model by shoving Wei out of the way, who falls in a mess to the floor. Enraged in humiliation, Wei angrily demands an apology from Xiaozheng, but Xiaozheng coolly replies that he has nothing to apologize for and that it was her fault for touching his model. From this moment, Wei becomes determined to repeatedly humiliate and bring trouble to Xiaozheng until she gets the apology she believes she deserves. Through her attempts Wei comes to the startling realization that in fact, she likes Xiaozheng. From Lao Zhang and Weijuan, Wei learns that Xiaozheng comes from a poor family and was raised by a strict mother, hence his aloof and disciplined personality. Wei declares her interest in Xiaozheng, then openly, relentlessly, and shamelessly stalks Xiaozheng to get his attention, much to his annoyance. Eventually, Xiaozheng, impressed by her enthusiasm, determination, and spirit finds that he has come to like Wei too, and the two start going together.
During the rest of their college life and relationship, Xiaozheng and Wei find that they have starkly contrasting personalities. Although he appreciates Wei's fiery enthusiastic personality, Xiaozheng also reprimands Wei at times for her laid-back and undisciplined attitude towards her coursework. Wei asks Xiaozheng why he is always so serious about everything, to which Xiaozheng replies, "I don't know what your attitude towards your life is, but my life is like a building that can only be built once, so I cannot afford any margin of error, not even a centimeter's width." Due to his family's modest financial circumstances, Xiaozheng feels that he needs to do anything and everything he can to ensure the best possible professional future for himself.
Eventually graduation comes upon Wei and Xiaozheng. At the on-campus recruitment and interview fair, Wei hopes she and Xiaozheng can find work at the same institute thus remain together. Unbeknownst to Wei, Xiaozheng has applied to and obtained a graduate fellowship to study architecture in America. When Wei finally learns of his plan, she confronts Xiaozheng to ask why she was the last one to know. Xiaozheng attempts to explain with difficulty that he could not tell her because he was afraid of hurting her and reiterates that he can not make any mistake in his life, he then apologizes, saying that he had to make this choice of leaving her to make a better future for himself.
A few years into the future, Wei has now become a mature professional who excels in her work, much different from her bygone youthful days. One day she suddenly encounters Lin Jing. Jing explains that he left abruptly because he learned his father was having an affair with Wei's mother, so he could not face Wei. He never went to America, but avoided contact with her except for once when he went to look for her, but found her with Xiaozheng. Now however, he wants to come back and rekindle their friendship and, if possible, romance. At this time, Xiaozheng also returns from America, now as a renowned and accomplished architect. Though he has everything professionally that he was determined to get, Xiaozheng finds the life that he has gained empty and crippled. He deeply regrets letting go of Wei, seeing it as the only time he walked with his back straight, and also wants to rekindle their relationship. However, Wei on their first meeting firmly rejects Xiaocheng. Not long afterward, Ruan Guan is killed in a car accident when trying to meet her university boyfriend for one last time before she getting married to another man. Wei, in grief, asks Lin Jing to marry her. However, she later calls it off when Lin Jing tells Wei about another girl that loved him during their time apart. Afterwards, Xiaocheng and Wei meet once more at the aquarium to reminisce. It is during this final scene when Xiaozheng asks Wei, "Can I start over, and love you again?" to which Wei replies, "Xiaozheng, we spent our youth together, we owe each other nothing... youth is something you can only relive in memory."
No comments:
Post a Comment