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Till We Meet Again is a must-watch bittersweet love story with a fantasy twist

Kai Ko as Ah Lun and Gingle Wang as Pinky in Till We Meet Again. (Photo: Golden Village Pictures)
Kai Ko (right) as Ah Lun and Gingle Wang as Pinky in Till We Meet Again. (Photo: Golden Village Pictures)

Director Giddens Ko, also known as Jiubadao, is back again with another film adaptation of his novel, Till We Meet Again. His previous notable works include You Are The Apple Of My Eye (2011), and Cafe Waiting Love (2014).

Till We Meet Again follows the story of Ah Lun, who is struck dead by lightning, and loses his memory of his previous life. While taking on the job of the god of love with Pinky — binding couples together with red strings — he remembers the love of his life, Xiao Mi. Ah Lun then realises that his biggest task is to tie the red string on Xiao Mi and someone who can be by her side.

Here’s why you shouldn't miss this fantasy romance film:

1. It stars eye candies Kai Ko, Vivian Sung and Gingle Wang.

Kai Ko, who's also known as Ko Chen-tung, plays the role of Ah Lun, alongside Vivian Sung as Xiao Mi, and Gingle Wang as Pinky. Till We Meet Again marks the third time Kai Ko has worked together with Giddens Ko, after You Are The Apple Of My Eye and A Choo, which was filmed in 2014, and shelved due to Kai Ko’s drug scandal in the same year. A Choo was later released in 2020 after Kai Ko’s father reportedly bought the rights to the film.

Since his drug scandal, Kai Ko seems to be trying to make a comeback. Till We Meet Again may just be his ticket to return to the limelight. He has delivered an impressive and dazzling portrayal of Ah Lun, making you sway with the emotions he imbued in the character, especially the scene when Ah Lun remembers Xiao Mi.

Vivian Sung also presents yet another superb performance, after starring in Cafe Waiting Love and Our Times (2015). While her attractive looks are enough to keep your eyes glued to the silver screen, it is how she brings out the complicated feelings of the character that keeps you engrossed in the story.

The dark horse is definitely Gingle Wang, who recently starred in More Than Blue: The Series. She plays the role of a hot-tempered pink-haired woman, who died at around the same period as Ah Lun. From hostility towards Ah Lun to developing unrequited feelings for him, Wang shows how the character develops over time in an expressive manner.

2. It covers multiple themes in a way that doesn’t overcomplicate the story.

Apart from the love story between Ah Lun and Xiao Mi, the film also features a subplot about a malicious ghost who has escaped into the human world. This sinister part of the story is also where great make-up and visual effects come into play. They may not be as stunning as a Hollywood production's, but they are enough for a fantasy romance film like this. Watch out for the film's comical renditions of Toshio from Ju-On and Sadako from The Ring.

Till We Meet Again also has many layers to the story that are fascinating. On one hand, there are the relationships between Ah Lun and Xiao Mi, Pinky and her ex, Ah Lun and Pinky, Xiao Mi and a potential partner. On the other hand, there are thrilling scenes where the malicious ghost is out for revenge. There is even a seemingly unimportant side story about Ah Lun’s and Xiao Mi's beloved pet dog Ah Lu!

Vivian Sung as Xiao Mi in Till We Meet Again. (Photo: Golden Village Pictures)
Vivian Sung as Xiao Mi in Till We Meet Again. (Photo: Golden Village Pictures)

It is quite admirable how Giddens Ko weaved all these together coherently within slightly more than two hours (128 minutes) of runtime, while maintaining the charm of the story. There is no doubt why Till We Meet Again was nominated for 11 categories at the 58th Golden Horse Awards, including Best Narrative Feature and Best Cinematography, and won in the categories of Best Visual Effects, Best Make-up & Costume Design, and Best Sound Effects.

3. The credits scene packs a touching tribute to pets.

Towards the ending, Giddens Ko reveals an amusing concept: the ghosts need to accumulate 20 white beads (black beads are bad karma) to reincarnate as a human, 19 to reincarnate as a dog, and 21 to reincarnate as a cat. Although it was not explained why, it is likely because a dog is a man’s best friend, and well, humans are the slaves to our cat masters.

As the credits start rolling, photos of the cast’s and staff’s pets started appearing. On the surface, it looked like they were just sharing their love for their pets. But upon deeper inspection of the photo captions, you’ll find something more than a simple love, and may even be able to relate to some of the messages.

Till We Meet Again is coming to Singapore theatres on 2 December 2021.

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