The great Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To is widely known for his gripping gangster dramas with operatic shootouts, suspenseful dramas and conflicting characters. But To is an experienced filmmaker in many different genres, and one of my favorite films of his is the excellent romantic comedy Don't break my heartwhich he co-directed with his frequent collaborator Wai Ka-fai. It's one of the best love triangle movies of all time and the perfect movie to curl up and watch with someone you have a crush on this holiday season. And if you want to watch it, the clock is ticking: it's leaving Netflix on December 1st and there's currently no other way to watch it – there's no way to rent or buy it digitally, no other streaming service has it and physical releases range from “exorbitantly expensive” to “hard to find”.
Featuring three beautiful and charming people (a great foundation for a romance), Don't break my heart It follows Chi-yan (Gao Yuanyuan), a recently single financial analyst whose heart is torn between two competing suitors: a CEO (Louis Koo) who ousted her and an architect (Daniel Wu) who she helps get back on your feet after going through a difficult time.
Both men are charming and polite but offer different qualities as potential partners – Koo's CEO is more emotionally distant but offers financial stability, while Wu's architect is full of romantic longings but is still picking up the pieces of his life. It's understandable why the choice is difficult – this isn't your typical “one good option, one bad” love triangle story (and To uses the backdrop of a financial crisis to cleverly portray the search for a life partner as an act of comparison shopping in the free dating market) . Each viewer will have their own preference for the partner she chooses, but you can see that she is happy with either one. At different times, they also work in the building across from Chi-yan's workplace. This leads to one of Don't break my heartThe game's most charming details: The characters flirt by putting sticky notes on the large glass windows of their buildings, making smiley faces, and sending each other messages. The stained glass windows are also a great opportunity for one of the age-old rom-com tropes: mix-ups and misunderstandings that lead to jokes.
The film is also often funny, with sight gags, laugh-out-loud dialogue and plenty of physical comedy. Part His Girl FridayPart Playtimeand everything is fun, Don't break my heart is a great example of a generational director working at the peak of his powers and absolutely nailing a genre.
Don't break my heart is streaming on Netflix until November 30th.
