The first two thirds of this movie were magical. Jay Chou was brilliant in creating a romantic, suspenseful mood. The piano competition was fantastic and reminiscent of one of my favorites, the 1988 Belgium film, The Music Teacher, in which two opera singers spar off against each other. If this movie had ended there, it would have been a perfect 10. Unfortunately, the movie took a turn for the worse went it went off in another direction for the last third. I won't reveal any "secret", but the "secret" ended the magic for me. The credits state that Jay Chou acted, directed, and produced this movie. Is this possible at such a young age? Wow!