THE LEAP YEARS

The first thing special about this movie is the fact that it is a Singapore made production. Usually when I think about a Singapore made film, it’s always full of Singlish – as if Singlish is something to even be proud of. I am not proud of Singlish at all. There is a proper way to talk and write in English; Singlish is definitely not the correct form of it. I’m one of the Singaporeans who is not proud of Singlish at all, so only because of this reason, I do not fancy Singapore productions.

But this movie is beyond all that. It showcases Singapore, the way I see her. But the main reason I love this film so much is because of the love story between Jeremy and Li Ann.

It took both of them just 2 hours to decide that the other was something special worth discovering. They fell in love through simple but meaningful conversations that happened in just one night. But of course, nothing is always smooth sailing, nothing is always sweet without hardship and so they had their problems. Li Ann loved, lost and then she found love again.

This film is full of imagery, signs and quotations. I love quotes from random people, books or songs so to see quotes before certain scenes just blew my mind away.

They only met thrice in a period of 12 years and yet, the emotions they felt for each other was as strong, or maybe ever stronger, than couples who see each other nearly every other day.

This film made me feel like I was not alone in thinking that I should always wait, wait till the moment when I find someone who blows me away, inspires me and is my muse rather than settling for someone and always have that thought of “What if” at the back of my mind.

Recently, I have come to believe that if a person truly wants something and wishes for it, even unconsciously, the universe will somehow, magically, grant this wish. It doesn’t matter how it will happen, it doesn’t matter when it will happen, but just that it WILL happen. This film shows that if we hold on, be patient, even if it takes years, decades, love will eventually triumph ANYTHING.

This film, although it’s fictional, and some might say I’m crazy to think that such a thing might happen in real life, restored me to the person I was a long time ago – a dreamer. The day to day rituals that life brought to me, made me forget that part that made me – me. This movie, when I watched it for the first time, really blew my mind away. Every one around me thought I was crazy when I told them that when I fall in love – I’ll fall in love by writing letters. This movie had so much emphasis on love letters – about how love letters are actually literature.

I am so attached to this film mainly because of Li Ann’s character. Her character, the things she does with her life is EXACTLY how I picture myself when I am a lot older – someone who does research in literature, someone who publishes books, someone who is an established writer, someone who loves another with such a strong passion and someone who is loved by another the exact same way she loves him.

The first time I watched this film, when it was over, all I could think was about how proud I was to be a Singaporean. I have seen many international films and Hollywood films and they are a few that have made its way into my heart, but there has never been a Singaporean film that has made me feel this way.

This movie is actually based on a book writer by a Singaporean writer, Dr. Catherine Lim. (http://catherinelim.sg/) I’m not a great fan of her books, and I have never read this book – I don’t intend to because I love the images that this film has already given me.

The second time I watched this film was a year later after I watched it in the cinemas. So much of me has grown since then. I know that I am a much stronger person now. This time, maybe because of my own personal experiences, I got all the same images I got last year, but what was different was that I learnt something extra. Love needs patience. If there is no patience in even one party of the relationship then the relationship and what could have been gets destroyed. If we are always patient, Love, will always triumph.