this movie is slow-spaced and yet not a boring moment. usually watching anything i tend to like or root for some character's and dislike others, when its a couple more so. u see and like one's actions/personality and tend to see the faults in the other's making u dislike them all the more. here weirdly i didn't root for one or the other - it was made very humane, that even the flaws were understandable and invoked sympathy by the end ...

the most ironic part for me was the use of black and white and the ignition of color and the symbolism behind its meaning - cause of how immersed i was in Po Wing and Yiu Fai's relationship it took me a while before i noticed the lack of color - this was that good (and that's saying something considering the version i saw, subs were all over the place and some of the time i was guessing at what was going on and what some scenes meant ) yet i was captivated from start to finish.

harder to like or "get" Po Wing i was confused by his motivation, why the push and pull - why drive the person u love bonkers by pulling them in and then pushing them away brutally, driving them crazy only to come back to repeat the scenario all over again. it was as if he was unraveling and at times trying to drag Yiu Fai down with him -

Yiu Fai was a much more stable character, even when he was alone he had an objective going back home and he would work himself to the bone to achieve that goal - he knew Po Wing was bad for him but he couldn't help himself (i guess that when the heart is involved u lead with it, instead of ur head) more so here in this toxic relationship. and yet no matter how hard he tried he could never really push Po Wing away or keep him - when Po Wing wanted out - so i personally was glad that when he took Po Wing back for the last time he kept him at arms length - no matter how much he cared for him literally he didn't sleep with him - which sadly didn't mean he wasn't as lost when Po Wing had enough and bailed - but he found it in himself to finally give up and take on more jobs to go back home..

Chang Wan i feel like was a much needed "breathing space" (ironic to call a person that) but even though he wasn't gay his coming into Yiu Fai life, another fellow that was all alone in a foreign country - they bonded cause the spoke the same language and were strangers in that land - and suddenly Yiu Fai didn't only have Po Wing. he didn't lean in Chang Wan - they were good friends at most. but the fact that he had this normal comparison, i feel like it helped him understand that he needed to stop going back / taking back Po Wing time and again and put his all into going back home and fixing his own life. that he couldn't subconsciously wait around for someone who would never really stick by him.

doesn't mean i didn't feel bad for Po Wing who came back as per his MO only to find that this time Yiu Fai wasn't sitting around waiting there for him, happy to pick up the pieces and give him a safe haven where he could rest, feeling loved and getting taken care of, for however long he needed, until he had enough - that's why the ending kinda blindsided me as i wanted to know what happens to all involved, Yiu Fai goes back but he visits Chang Wan's family's shop - Chang Wan at the other end of the world has had enough of traveling thinking of Fai wants to go back home - and then there is sad broken Po Wing who is left all alone in Argentina - so this time this open ended was a major bummer as i needed more ... for sure a rewatch