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18×2 Beyond Youthful Days (2024)

18×2 Beyond Youthful Days (2024)

Two first loves meet again in this true-to-life romantic drama

7.2

Movie

Japan, Taiwan
Japanese, Mandarin
Drama, Romance
2024
MICHIHITO FUJII
Chen Yan-Fei, Chu Chung-heng, Chu-Ping Liu
124 min

TLDR

What do you mean this actually happened?!

What it's about

After separating 18 years ago to focus on their dreams, Taiwanese game developer Jimmy travels to Japan in a soul-searching journey to fulfill his promise to his first love, Japanese backpacker Ami.

The take

We sacrifice so much for our dreams, so if it all fails, whether that be because of ourselves or because of extenuating circumstances, sometimes, a bit of perspective is needed to get back up. The Taiwanese-Japanese romantic drama 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days is centered on two young adults that meet in a karaoke bar in Tainan, one who hopes to pass the summer with some money, and the other hoping to fulfill her dream of travelling the world. It’s a familiar coming-of-age concept, but it’s done so bittersweet and beautifully as the adult Jimmy recalls each moment they shared while on the journey to fulfill their promise to meet each other after they reach their dreams. 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days doesn’t tread new paths, but the film’s way of depicting memories as well as the charming chemistry of the leads transforms the real life travelogue into a moving testament of the connections we form while travelling.

What stands out

The non-linear timeline makes the entire film feel like a memory, and made it easy and natural for writer-director Michihito Fujii to turn what really happened when they separated into a driving mystery.

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