The new film on Netflix, "I Must Be Crazy, I Like You," is an exceptional case, having been released on the OTT platform less than a month after its theatrical debut. The fact that a movie which met audiences in Taiwan this past April and in Korea in August can be enjoyed so quickly from the comfort of one's home brings both surprise and delight. Being able to watch a film fresh from its cinema run symbolizes the current era where the boundaries of content consumption are blurring, and it also serves as a window of opportunity to present the work to a wider audience. Thanks to this unconventional release strategy, viewers who missed the movie in theaters can now soothe their regrets.
When I first started watching the film, it was difficult to immediately distinguish whether it was Taiwanese or Chinese based solely on the setting or the actors' appearances. However, the decisive clue was found in an unexpected place: the school uniforms worn by the main characters. I was able to confirm it was a Taiwanese film by noticing the numbers affixed to the left side of the uniform tops. I had learned from the popular Taiwanese drama "Someday or One Day" that Taiwanese student uniforms are inscribed with numbers related to their student ID or personal information. This single small detail became a crucial key to identifying the film's country of origin.
While it is a bit disappointing that the exact meaning behind the numbers on the uniforms is not clearly known, this cultural characteristic contributes to creating an atmosphere unique to Taiwanese content. Beyond the uniforms, the architectural styles of the buildings, the scenery of the streets, and the homes where the characters live all exude a distinctly Taiwanese sentiment that feels both familiar and different. In particular, the film's main setting in a quiet, modest rural town, rather than a bustling city center, serves as an effective device that makes the characters' pure emotional journeys stand out even more.
The title used on Netflix, "I Must Be Crazy, I Like You," is not the film's original title. It gives off a rather different vibe compared to what is known as its original title, "My Painful, Love Story." It's unclear why Netflix changed the title, but after watching the film to the end, one realizes that both titles penetrate the core of the work, each in its own way. "I Must Be Crazy, I Like You," which captures the feel of a bubbly romantic comedy, and "My Painful, Love Story," which holds the atmosphere of a tender and sad melodrama, both showcase important facets of the film.
One of the most interesting setups in this film is that the male and female protagonists share the same name, "Ye Shijie." The male lead, Ye Shijie, is played by actor Cheom Hwe-woon, and the female lead, Ye Shijie, is played by newcomer Kang Je. As Cheom Hwe-woon is not an actor with an extensive filmography either, the fresh combination of the two leads adds a youthful charm to the movie. The setting of them being namesakes is not a simple coincidence but an important piece of foreshadowing that hints at their fateful narrative. The reason why they had to have the same name is naturally revealed as the film progresses, leaving a deep, lasting impression and moving the audience.
The unique sensibility and freshness of Taiwanese romance films are fully evident in this work. The male protagonist, Ye Shijie, has the ambitious goal of getting into a national university, but in reality, he is a troublemaker who has given up on studying and only thinks about skipping school to have fun. The reason he is so desperate to get into a national university is because of the insurance money left by his deceased parents. His aunt promised to give him the money on the condition of his college admission. As the sole survivor of a horrific train accident, the insurance money is not just money to him; it holds the precious meaning of being the only memento his parents left behind in the world.
On the other hand, the female protagonist, Ye Shijie, is the class president, an excellent student, and the very model of an exemplary student. The lives of these two, who seem to live in completely different worlds, unexpectedly intertwine when the male Ye Shijie causes major trouble and faces expulsion. At the hospital, due to a nurse's mistake, false information that he has cancer is relayed to his teacher, and thanks to this misunderstanding, he avoids expulsion. Knowing that it's all a mistake, he chooses to remain silent about the lie and continues his precarious school life because he wants to stay in school.
Unaware of this truth, the female Ye Shijie feels sympathy for him and decides to become his desk partner to help him study. Although she is a person of exceptionally neat character who is particular about hygiene, she willingly offers to help the troublemaker. The story becomes even more interesting with the addition of a junior, "Cheon-ri" (played by Ryu Su-bo), who has a crush on the female Ye Shijie. In particular, the female Ye Shijie and Cheon-ri seem to have a special bond, eating lunch together every day, which hints at a hidden, special story between them and piques the viewer's curiosity.
The first half of the film is filled with the cheerful energy created by the contrasting characters of the two Ye Shijies. The male Ye Shijie, irrepressibly bright and healthy, eats everything with gusto; his scenes of eating ramen are so vivid they are enough to make the viewer's mouth water. Conversely, the female Ye Shijie’s appearance, which seems somewhat frail and sickly, constantly evokes a sense of worry and heartache. The process of the two bickering characters gradually growing closer brings both laughter and heart-fluttering moments, with lively scenes, such as one where she slaps his cheek, dominating the screen.
However, as the film moves past its midpoint, the atmosphere shifts completely as the secrets and painful stories that each character held are revealed one by one. The delightful youth romance transforms into a heart-wrenching, sad melodrama that is impossible to watch without tears. Unlike many Taiwanese romance films that depict a sweet first love and a happy ending, "I Must Be Crazy, I Like You" leaves a deep and profound lingering effect by contemplating the true meaning of love through a story of painful fate and sacrifice. This film, which was loved enough to top the Taiwanese box office, is a masterpiece that once again proves the formula that Taiwanese romance is always worth watching.
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