The Leap Years (2008)

Director:

Jean Yeo

Writers:

Alain Layrac (co-writer)
Catherine Lim (novel)

Release Date:

29 February 2008 (Singapore)

Genre:

Romance

Plot:

Li-ann, a dreamer, is a strong believer of the soul mate theory and rejects all men, especially her best friend KS...

Plot Keywords:

Singapore | Birthday | Superstition | Based On Novel

Cast

Jason Chan	...	Raymond
Joan Chen	...	Li-Ann - age 48
Ananda Everingham	...	Jeremy
Nadya Hutagalung	...	Sunetta
Keagan Kang	...	Professor
Anne Yuen Mei Law	...	Li Ann's Mother
Wong Lilin	...	Li-Ann - ages 24 to 36
Vernetta Lopez	...	Jennie
Paula	...	Kim
Yuwu Qi	...	KS
Tracy Tan	...	Dyllan
Kiat-Sing Teo	...	Waitress

Runtime:

Singapore:103 min

Country:

Singapore

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:PG

Company:

Mediacorp Raintree Pictures

Trivia:

The production started in 2005 and the film was initially to be released in December 2005.

Quotes:

Jeremy: It's hard to resist the temptation of loving someone for the sake of being with someone, so I think you are really brave to wait for the right one to come along. People don't want to be alone.

Not so bad, not good either

"The Leap Years" is a movie adapted from an e-novella by Singapore writer Catherine Lim, which became the first Singapore novel/novella to be sold over the internet. The film had a tortuous post-production schedule: shot in early 2005, it was slated for release at the end of 2005, but only turn up eventually 3 years later, on the 29th February 2008, a leap year.

Before I say anything, I must first admit I'm no fan of the romance genre, so I may be a little biased against this film - I watched it merely because it was a Singapore production, and that it's available for borrowing at my neighborhood library. Here's my two cents on the movie.

Let's just start by saying that other than Qi Yu-wu's KS and Wong Li-Lin, everybody here of note seems to be a Eurasian. The love interest is a Eurasian (Ananda Everingham), and Wong's trio of buddies are all, er-hem, Eurasians. Does this film perpetuate the stereotype that falling in love and associating with Eurasians are more "in" than the common Chinese (or whatever Asian race you are?) I don't know, it sure seems that way. Also, everyone in the movie speaks in some mystical "anglified" accent which doesn't exist anywhere, certainly not in Singapore. It's the kind of "semi-perfect English" that authorities would like us speak, but which doesn't exist anywhere outside, say, the MTV Channel. The effect is that the dialog of the movie sounds forced and stilted, not helped by the lack of true-blue Singaporeans in the cast.

The scriptwriter seems to be trying too hard to string one-liners after one-liners. After twenty minutes, the "wit" of the movie starts to pall and the film starts serving up its usual plate of clichés.

I guess I didn't enjoy the movie because the entire premise of sustaining a love affair over 16 long years seems unbelievable. No matter how hopelessly romantic you are, it will take a naive person to believe he or she could sustain a relationship over this stretch, seeing a guy once every 4 years. Nowadays, it's hard even to maintain a relationship for four years without living in the same country. Obviously someone here - Catherine Lim or the screenwriter - believe in the adage "love at first sight". Believing this doesn't make this premise any easier to swallow.

There are other incredulities in the film. I can't for one believe that KS (played by Qi Yu-wu) would fall for one of Wong's girlfriends, when Qi Yu-wu seems like the traditional Chinese type of guy. And the scene where the bridegroom says, very generously, "Go, before I change my mind," has been used in a hundred East Asian (Korean, Chinese, Hong Kong, Taiwanese etc) TV serials...

So 4 stars for this film. The production value is fairly good, and Wong Li-lin tries her best, but she's not helped by the script. Joan Chen has a 15-minute bit-part in the movie as the older Wong and is perhaps the best actress of the lot, but, hey, her role is just cameo.

I think I'll give Catherine Lim's novella a miss. If you come across "The Leap Years" in the rental or library, you may want to pop it in the DVD player for curiosity's sake, but otherwise, for people who do not exactly enjoy the romance genre, you can decide whether or not to give it a miss.