Year: 2018
Directors: Yoshitaka Takeuchi, Haoling Li, Jiaoshou Yi Xiaoxing
Genre: Romance/Drama
If you haven’t heard, Flavor of Youth was created by the studio who did Your Name. So, for people who’ve not watched it yet, it’s three stories taking place in one film. The location is mainly set in parts of China. The first story is regarding food, the second story is about family, and lastly, a story about friendship. To make it simple, I’ll explain each story, and I’ll talk about the pros and cons.
First story: The Rice Noodles
I know everyone loves eating - some of us even wish that food wouldn’t contain any calories! But the story is about a young boy by the name of Xiao Ming. Taking place in Beijing, Xiao Ming reminisces about the days his grandma used to make food for him. It’s safe to say that through food, we can build meaningful relationships. Sometimes with food, it can take us to new places. Such as new countries, new cultures, and meeting new people - which, in a way is related to this film. You can see through their love of food; that Xiao Ming can be closer to his grandma. Through food, they’re able to build a relationship together - which I’ll give credit where credit is due - it sort of relates to people in real life. I’m sure that our mum or dad are good cooks. Or other members of the family. When watching this, I just remember the times my family and I would all sit down and have a meal. These are the little things I always look forward to. It gives us moments for us to forget about life and be part of the moment. As we get older, we all have different life paths and having a family meal together can only come by occasionally. I liked to way the story is told. In that short amount of time, I can imagine if you were to give it some extra time, what other things could’ve been achieved. In the film, it took up around 15 minutes. If I were to give it a rating, for me, it’s a solid 9.5/10
Second story: Little Fashion Show
The story involves Yi Lin, a model who is staying in Shanghai with her little sister, Lulu, who’s pursuing her studies. The way it was told made it feel like it was incomplete. I tried rewatching it a few times but couldn’t understand it. I just trying to figure out whether the story was about two sisters, or how Yi Lin is trying to be the model she used to be. Well, that was the first thing I said when I watched it the first time. However, on the other hand, I can see some positives with it. Having lost their parents at a young age, it’s tough. So, this is where Yi Lin takes the responsibility of taking care of Lulu. I guess after watching it a few times, you can say that story teaches us about cherishing the relationships you have with your loved ones. This is relatable in real life where we have close bonds with people - whether it’s our best friend, wife, or family member, we all have that person we’re close to. I would have to give it a 7/10.
Third Story: Love in Shanghai
Li Mo and Xiao Yu are school friends and now are adults. Li Mo discovers a cassette tape play from early on, and it’s like a love story waiting to happen. Cassette was used because Xiao Yu got injured and she needed to keep up with her class. It’s quite interesting how they use cassette players to communicate with each other. Through becoming friends, they developed a relationship with each other in the future. They had moments where Xiao Yu got selected to this school out of town to be with his friend. It shows the bond they have; they don’t want to leave each other. I didn’t talk about this elect in the other stories, but I liked the cinematography element in the film - I would say in my opinion, this segment had some shots which make it gel well with the film and the storyline. Through friendship, you never know what can happen in the future. I would have said that the story. I would give it a 6/10 for it.
To sum it up, I would certainly give this film a 7/10 – each story has its way of telling its stories, but it just does not capture the audience's attention. It was three short film duration put into a film. I certainly enjoyed the first story, The Rice Noodles which showcases the boy’s love for his grandma, and how they can bond with food. It’s something that we’re able to relate to
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