Love You Forever review: A romance drama with time travel treatment

By Lim Yian Lu

Length: 115 minutes
Director: Yoyo Yao
Cast: Lee Hong-chi, Li Yitong

Based on the popular Chinese novella Wait Till Nothing Left by Zheng Zhi, Love You Forever is a heart-warming romance story with an element of time-travel. Lin Ge (Lee Hong-chi) and Qiu Qian (Li Yitong) grew up together as playmates but due to circumstances, Qiu Qian had to move house. The two lovebirds eventually reunited in the same high school and rekindled the spark.

But before Lin Ge could confess his love to her, Qiu Qian met with an accident and lost her life. The saddened Lin Ge swore he would do anything just to revive her. Little did he know, a miracle happened and he was sent back to the past, except he has become older (think working adult) and his existence was wiped from the world. Their intertwining fate tells a bittersweet love story that transcends time.

Despite the fact that Love You Forever touches on the ever tricky topic of time travel, the plot is by far one of the best which rules out time paradox. Specifically, it is more like an alternate dimension with a different timeline — a world without Lin Ge — that Lin Ge travelled back in time to. In that world, Qiu Qian did not meet with Lin Ge and thus, did not end up in an accident.

Unlike usual time travel stories, Love You Forever triggered the time machine several times. This is also apparent right at the start of the movie, as a severely aged Lin Ge appeared with Qiu Qian who is in her thirties. Although it makes the plot slightly predictable, the movie is still enjoyable and makes you wonder what is going to happen which motivated Lin Ge to trade his years for Qiu Qian’s life.

Apart from the plot, another interesting element to look out for is how Lee Hong-chi manages to portray a high school student and various aged versions of Lin Ge. Just by a change in makeup and hair, coupled with a set of clothes and accessories, the whole aura of Lin Ge is vastly different with no sense of incompatibility. Perhaps, this is also partly due to Lee’s superb acting skills which helped him pull off such a feat.

Although Love You Forever is a romance film, it also has a sub-plot on family. In particular, it is the soul-stirring relationship between Lin Ge and his widower dad. As Lin Ge does not exist in the “new world”, his supposed parents did not give birth to him as well. But Lin Ge still visits his dad from time to time, even if he does not remember him at all.

Love You Forever is neither your typical love story nor your usual time travel story. You literally have to see it to believe it, as the time machine witnesses the destiny of Lin Ge and Qiu Qian.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Release date: 3 September 2020 (Singapore)