Review of Fleet of Time (2014) by Walter P — 24 May 2015

Back in Time (Cong Cong Na Nian ) translated: "Fleet of Time" is a young adult romance movie that takes a nostalgic look back in time of five high school friends in China when they reunited years later at a friend's wedding. Mandarin subtitled in English. The movie centers on one of the friends, Chen Xun, recollections about the groups more innocent times to the wedding videographer. In the flashbacks of his love story with Fang Hui occasionally was complex, captivating and passionate while at other times was bland. I their time together he experienced puppy-love, fanciful dreams of future lives together, true-love, "I'm pregnant do you still love me?" love, and heartbreak, while other characters struggled with unrequited love and passive crushes. A couple of requisite group brawls between the young men gave action needed to keep our attention. At the wedding everyone was in their early stages of post-graduation adult life but the tie in to the past stories was not adequately developed to put it all together. Yet we get an interesting glimpse of the direction people selected for their lives and see their mature personas. Perhaps the bride's and groom's story could be a launch point for a future sequel. I kept hoping for more from the actors; on too many occasions they seemed subdued. There are missed opportunities to develop the peripheral characters: the interaction between the fickle girls and jerk guys could have been written to go beyond their narrow characters into interesting plot lines. It is probably a little slow paced and too subtle for an American audience that is used to being entertained.

I loved the sound score; especially, the mesmerizing theme song. When I accepted the movie's pace and immersed myself in the emotions of the theme song, it was then that found myself slipping into the story a bit more. This is the kind of movie that if your take a deep calm breath, watch and listen to it attentively with an open heart the movie will come to you. You'll get much more out of that way it despite its shortcomings. Don't expect Back in Time to bang its way into your head.