Eternal Summer (2006) User Reviews

A beautiful movie on relationships

[themovieclub · 7/10 · 12 April 2007]

Most say Eternal Summer is a gay movie. But I would rather call it a movie about relationships.

Newbies Bryant Chang and Joseph Chang play two best friends who come a long way from primary school after they were paired off as motivational buddies by their form teacher. As the 'third party' Carrie (Kate Yeung) enters the scene, the relationship becomes more complicated. All three struggle with love and friendship – a line that can seem so clearly divided but is not.

With 4 nominations at the Golden Horses, this movie caused a stir in Taiwan, both in terms of theme and story. Fortunately, it did not sink into typical Taiwanese melodramatic mode. The director takes his time to unfold, filled with awkward yet genuine moments. Note the parallels that he draws, and the subtle contrast between scenes reveal more than what is said.

Many times, the audience may feel frustrated with the slow pacing, and wished that the characters would just acknowledge what they feel. Perhaps this is a reflection of individuals being unaccepted and different in society, whether you are a gay, migrant or loner. You may just identity with the 3 characters' suppression and lack of ability to communicate.

With Lan Yu winning the Golden Horse, and Brokeback Mountain the Golden Globes paving the way, homosexual themed movies have started arriving to the shores of Singapore (with some censorship). Just a few years before, it would almost seem impossible that movies like Eternal Summer would be screen here. Liberation of the authorities or sophistication of the audience? To emphasize, this is not just another 'gay' movie, and may disappoint those going for the wrong reasons. With the tagline "No One Wishes To Be Lonely, Neither Do We", it can be viewed as a beautifully shot movie on the pains of growing up, friendship and love.

a search for teen companionship

[chicagoboy1984 · 8/10 · 25 May 2007]

Eternal Summer is essentially about the innately gregarious nature of human existence, that desire of each and every human being to have companionship. Although this topic is certainly not new to cinema, it is portrayed in an original, artistic, and poignant manner in this film directed by Leste Chen. In this simple yet touching story, three teenagers, Jonathan, Shane, and Carrie, are thrown into a tumultuous love triangle out of which they each learn that no one should ever have to be lonely.

The first character, Jonathan, is a hardworking and studious student. One day while in grade school, he is asked by the teacher to befriend the rebellious Shane in hopes that Jonathan's obedient nature will rub off on Shane. This unlikely friendship goes well into their teen years, as Jonathan remains the diligent and introverted individual while Shane is still the outspoken and often-times boorish individual, now redirecting that hyperactive energy to sports. During these years, Jonathan has developed a secret homosexual crush on his best friend Shane. Jonathan himself does not realize this until a new girl at school, Carrie, starts to take a liking to him. After confessing to Carrie that he is gay and in love with his best friend, he still remains friends with Carrie, the only outside keeper of his biggest secret. The roles that Shane and Carrie play in Jonathan's life have now changed: Carrie is now Jonathan's true best friend, while Shane is Jonathan's desired lover. In spite of this, Jonathan keeps this love well-hidden and does not act on it. His overwhelming feelings for Shane do not begin to take the best of him until he realizes that Carrie, his true best friend, is now dating Shane. It is now that he realizes that he cannot ever just be "friends" with Shane.

Meanwhile, Shane sees Jonathan throughout the entire story as his best friend, the only friend he had as a rebellious young boy. Shane's greatest fear is suffering from the loneliness that characterized his childhood before having met Jonathan, and he never wants to return to that dark place ever again. When Jonathan tells Shane that he never wanted to be his friend, Shane's emotions are utterly crushed, and in a last-ditch effort to salvage their invaluable friendship, Shane gives Jonathan what Jonathan has probably been fantasizing about his entire life: one night of intimate unification. For the desperate Shane, this is the only physical way he can show his best friend how much he does not want to lose their friendship. Meanwhile, Shane does not want to lose his love either, Carrie. Although the love story between Shane and Carrie was terribly underdeveloped, Shane admits that he cannot function without Carrie, his love, or Jonathan, his best friend.

The third character in this love triangle is Carrie. A new transfer student from Hong Kong, Carrie initially has her eyes set on Jonathan, the sweet guy at school with boyish good looks. When she discovers that she cannot have him, she shifts her eyes to Shane. In a way, Shane is Carrie's "replacement-Jonathan." Knowing that she cannot have Jonathan as her lover, she settles for having Jonathan as her best friend and Shane as her lover. Being with Shane, Jonathan's best friend, seems to be the closest Carrie will ever have to being Jonathan's lover.

This story of the quest for teenage companionship was very richly-colored and profoundly presented. However, a major defect of this film was the lack of believability of how Jonathan could have truly loved Shane for any reason other than Shane's good looks or his athletic body. Shane's treatment of Jonathan was not particularly likable. For example, Shane causes Jonathan's grades to slip by distracting him when he tries to study. Even when Jonathan directly asks Shane to let him be, Shane disregards his alleged "best friend's" request and continues to disturb him. Furthermore, Shane is rather bossy and overbearing. He orders Jonathan to eat with him numerous times to keep him company, and when Jonathan does not fulfill this "obligation," Shane feels the need to punish his friend by making it difficult for him to study. It is truly hard to understand how Jonathan could have really liked Shane for any reason other than a superficial one. A second major blemish of the film was the seemingly illogical actions of Shane. Shane sees Jonathan as his best friend without whom he cannot live. Yet, he is willing to jeopardize that friendship by actively pursuing Carrie after "thinking" that she and Jonathan recently broke up. Good friends do not normally date each other's ex's, especially so soon after a breakup. Furthermore, he sees Carrie behind Jonathan's back, and surprisingly, it is Carrie, who knows Jonathan less well, who suggests that they come clean to Jonathan about their relationship. Furthermore, when he is losing Jonathan, Shane decides to sleep with him in a final effort to save their friendship. Although I admit that this scene was indeed an enjoyable one, it is outright incongruous for a friend to sleep with another friend to save a friendship. Normally, friends use oral communication rather than intimately physical communication to save a diminishing friendship. Unless he actually had intimate feelings for Jonathan, sleeping with him only strains the friendship further and makes it more difficult for them to just be "friends" again.

All three characters desire someone to fill the role of "best friend" and someone else to fill the role of "lover." Through their teen quests to find and keep friendships, whether romantic or not, the film shows us that companionship is a deep-seated part of human existence that everyone needs.

Summer inevitably turns to autumn

[Suradit · 8/10 · 24 August 2014]

Great treatment of the complexities of relationships and the difficulty of making the transition from the youthful summer of life to the autumn of adulthood.

At the superficial level, Jonathan is one of the best students in his class while Shane is a trouble-maker who has no friends. At the request of Shane's mother, their teacher orchestrates a bonding between Jonathan and Shane in the hopes of helping Shane. While both boys are reluctant, their friendship develops into something very important to them both, but not without costs.

Carrie enters the picture when they are all older and coming to terms with their sexuality, but this leads to Jonathan & Carrie "discovering" an insurmountable obstacle to their relationship. Carrie is sympathetic and still cares about Jonathan. Nonetheless she then turns her romantic attention to Shane who does reciprocate her feelings, but both fear alienating Jonathan who Shane continues to love as a best friend.

The chemistry between these three becomes an increasingly difficult mixture of love, resentment, respect, caring, jealousy and misunderstanding.

They each want to maintain the innocent and platonic relationships formed during the summer of their youth, but their sexual maturity and natural desire to pair off in more intimate relationships makes the rite of passage a painful and, as far as the movie is concerned, an unresolved one.

Very well done. The actors made their characters very believable and their plight was emotionally touching & moving.

A Love Triangle As Fragile and Lovely As Any Ever Filmed

[gradyharp · 9/10 · 8 December 2007]

ETERNAL SUMMER (Sheng xia guang nian) is a delicate, quiet, understated and eloquent study of youthful interpersonal relationships form Taiwanese director Leste Chen from a screenplay by Cheng-Ping Hsu based on the novel by the same name by Chi-yao Wang. The style of the film allows a wide audience to appreciate the sexual challenges of teenagers and understand the need for finding love and acceptance in a world at times too busy to care.

The story begins in grade school where Jonathan Kang (Bryant Chang) is a gifted student asked to 'supervise' another young boy in his class, Shane Yu (the dazzlingly gifted young actor Joseph Chang) who has an apparent learning disorder/attention deficit. Shane is rambunctious and athletically gifted while Jonathan is the quiet, reserved, brilliant student. The boys bond as children and grow up together into young men facing the exams for university entrance. A young girl Carrie (Kate Yeung) meets the two boys: first she challenges the studious Jonathan to take a trip to Taipei (ditching school) where she hopes to have a physical encounter. The hotel room is a disaster and Jonathan feels isolated from both Carrie's desires and from deserting his duties at school - and with Shane, who Jonathan loves far more than merely a best friend. Shane gradually moves into Jonathan's position as Carrie's physical companion and the resulting triangle results in confessions and incidents that allow each of the three involved young people to grow and understand the spectrum of love.

The story is captured with exceptionally beautiful cinematic effects by cinematographer Charlie Lam and the atmosphere of play and passion is enhanced by the musical score by Jeffrey Cheng. Yet it is the sensitive direction by Leste Chen that encourages the three superb young actors to become immersed in their roles. Chen knows when to say enough (the sex scenes are sensual and suggestive without even approaching an R rating) and when to allow scenes of quiet and eye contact to carry the drama. This is a very fine film that deserves a wide audience, both young and old. Highly recommended. In Mandarin with English subtitles. Grady Harp

Movie Review: External Summer (2006)

[ken_lee54 · 5 February 2007]

Movie Review: Eternal Summer (2006) By Ken Lee

This movie was a box office success in its native Taiwan when it was released late last year, garnering 4 nominations in Taiwan's Golden Horse Award along the way, and an eventual win for one of its male leads (Bryant CHANG Jui-chia, or ZHANG Ruijia in pinyin, who plays Jonathan KANG Zhenxing in a nuanced performance repletes with all the requisite repressed troubled mood), though a nod for its other male lead (Joseph CHANG Hsiao-chuan, or ZHANG Xiaoquan in pinyin, who plays the other-worldly Shane YU Souheng with tremendous vigour and enough *bling*), for the role of the high school jock and the object of desire of Jonathan, will be just as pleasing.

But the movie's success is less sterling in HK, where it just opens, presumably because movie-goers here typecast it with yet-another-melodramatic-Taiwanese-film association, and one with GLBT-theme at that, which is a shame, for it deserves a wider audience, even as it's one that isn't without minor flaws of its own, as befits the fate of most coming-of-age films helmed by relatively young directors (in this case, Leste CHEN, all of 25).

The plot is decidedly simple, and the narrative mostly linear, tracking the friendship and love of its 3 main protagonists ("best friends" Jonathan, Shane, and Carrie, played by Kate Yeung who shines in limited screen time) in their youth, from age 11 in a school in rural Hualian (in 1991) to age 18 (1998) to the college year in Taipei (2005), with all of their ensuing majesty, glory, anxiety, complicity, confusion, pang, angst, and a dreamy quality thrown in.

The film will benefit from some minor editing for a more even pace. Original music by Jeffrey CHENG is intrusive at best. These minor quibbles aside, cinematographer Charlie LAM's rendering of the rural locations is thing of pure magic and the theme song by Ah Xin (of the "May Day" rock band fame) blends in magnificently with the direction to which the film eventually takes.

A friend asked if this is a tear-jerker to avoid at all costs. My answer to which is that hot and bitter tears may flow, not necessarily because of the inherent sadness of the human conditions, but may be because it deepens our understanding of those who are perceived to be "different" and living on the fringe.

And if the measure of a film lies in whether the audience connects with the characters towards the end, and whether it leaves you with the sudden urge to be young and fell in love all over again, then it isn't to be missed; and so it seems "Eternal Summer" is a welcome addition to the growing list of Taiwanese films with GLBT content.

Recommended.

HK Neo Reviews: Eternal Summer

[webmaster-3017 · 7/10 · 16 March 2011]

A brave effort…

Director Leste Chen has ventured into an unlikely genre with a brave heart, but the results are another matter. It is a film that attempts to be compelling, emotional and consequential, but ultimately it fails to connect with the audience. The film itself is like a beautiful image, filled with daring performances, outstanding direction and lighting, but somehow it falls short and perhaps ending up being quite lacking. Putting together two relatively unknown male leads enhance the credibility of the film by being more believable and surprisingly they handed their respective roles with suitable bravery and emotionally performed. Coming from the lush of fame from the arty 20:30:40, Kate Yeung is suitably nature and a potential filled performance worthy of noting.

The movie goes like this: The film opens with elementary school kid Jonathan (Bryant Chang), ordered by the teacher to befriend his classmate Shane (Joseph Chang). Since then, they have shared every episode in their lives until Carrie (Kate Yeung) becomes their high school classmate...

It is still a mystery, as to the prime reason why the movie never seem to connect to Neo, perhaps it is the subject matter it is dealing with, but the film is ultimately distant and leaving far too many stones unturned in the process. Some twists like the controversial sex scene is far more shocking and brave than actually affecting and connecting. It is probably safe to say that the script is really a let down, as everything else seems like the product of good cinema. There is no doubt that the filmmaker here is daring and is not afraid to expose edgy issues and there are even scenes that reminds us of a far superior –Wong Kar Wai's film – Happy Together. Unfortunately this flick never reaches those heights and the effect is more like experimental cinema than actual accomplished cinema.

Still, with all the criticisms the performances of the trio is without doubt the core saviour for the film as they are able to create believable characters and act beyond the material they are given. Byrant Chang handles his role in an outright sympathetic manner with his heart torn between his love for his best friend and his duty to maintain his friendship. He is expressive and subtle at times, creating a performance that is worthy of some recognition. Likewise, Joseph Chang performs extremely well in a complex role, but in a way his performance may well be enhanced by the sudden shocks within the scripts, rather than his actual performance. Nonetheless, he remains a fine young talent. Of the trio, Kate Yeung is given the filling parts or perhaps what Neo calls "a paper thin role", but somehow, Yeung is able to act beyond her material and resulting in the most natural performance of the trio. She is a bright young talent and despite not being an outright beauty, her talents by far outweigh that minor physical flaw.

All in all, Eternal Summer is by no means a bad movie, and in fact it almost has all the ingredients to set it up as an outright award winning arty film. Unfortunately the film failed to connect and affect to the audience's emotions, resulting in a finale that is more emotional and tense for the people on screen, rather than the ones looking on. It is ultimately a trying and brave effort and for that alone, it is worthy of giving some sort of credit to. Nonetheless, it is an interesting look into the lives of three tormented souls and the daring performances are alone worthy of a pat on the shoulders for their efforts… (Neo 2006)

I rate it 7.5/10.

• www.thehkneo.com

Bittersweet yearning

[zephyr24-1 · 9/10 · 28 April 2007]

Well I think this film pretty much sums up the notion that love transcends time and gender. A bittersweet tale of childhood yearning for a best friend that has taken a new direction as the two friends grow up to find the meaning of love and life when a girl threatens to upset the status quo.

The two lead male actors, Bryan and Joseph, give a sensitive and insightful performance as two best friends whose friendship is more than just ordinary. Kate plays the girl who comes between them and the girl shows grown-up sensibility beyond her age.

Heartwarming, poignant and ultimately heart wrenching. Watching it is enough to make any grown man want to cry.

Passing Hot Spell at Most

[Adorable · 6/10 · 29 January 2007]

What's so special about this new romantic-sorrowful flick isn't its brief dalliance with gay love, nor its category III rating in Hong Kong. The rating no one should get worked up over, since they seem to be dishing them out like there's no tomorrow nowadays with Little regard for actual content. In Eternal Summer's case it's likely due to a super short scene depicting the two male leads naked in bed and doing the nasty, something even the ho-hum Brokeback Mountain managed to get right with less fuss.

No, Eternal Summer dances around its main point to an exaggerated degree, in the end causing us to wonder what that point was meant to be to begin with. Rather, what's so special about this one is its membership in a very exclusive club of movies with enough projectile velocity to break free of Taiwan, where it was made. Taiwanese cinema has become rare, something we lament. For that only, Eternal Summer demands your support.

It unfortunately possesses scant few other redeeming traits. Viewers can see the whole gist of it from the get-go, and in its arsenal of tricks exist no better weapons than an age-old threesome of young and restless characters in search of definition. But they hardly do much to find meaning, which is likely a stilllife phenomenon someone like Taiwan-based mastermind director Hou Hsiao Hsien would have worked wonders with. But trusted to 25 year-old Leste Chen (The Heirloom) it all comes across flat and uncompelling. Never mind, young auteurs like that require our attention and movie-going prowess, so we're willing to take an uninspired story as part of proceedings.

Two additional newcomers do the main two protagonists, rebellious James Dean-type Shane by the darkly alluring Joseph Chang and geeky, lost soul Jonathan via Bryant Chang. Their characters meet as young boys at a rural school when Jonathan is asked by a teacher to buddy up with attention-lacking Shane as a means of getting the weaker student into the swing of things, and the rest constitutes a very short history.

Years later, they're best friends, almost inseparable and with an undercurrent of attraction not entirely par for the course, although that part is left for audiences to quite easily deduce on their own.

Into the mix is then thrown Carrie, played by sexy tomboy Kate Yeung, who we've before seen in Mighty Baby and The Eye 10. This young lady gives mid-90's Liv Tyler as serious a marathon for her money as can be arranged, easily stealing the show with her range of facial expressions and sincere, almost jocular attitude. She's largely wasted in Eternal Summer, with a skillset far more suited to the sarcastic niche filled by fellow youthful lovelies like Cherrie Ying.

All this takes place as the trio gets ready to finish high school and move on to college, and the plot follows them as they do so. One neat aspect of Eternal Summer is how it effectively excludes everyone else, forcing the story to highlight only the three as if they were the epitome of iconoclastic social angst. This does work, but lacks the power and impact derived from a truly interesting story to back it up.

Love and emotion get their two cents in as Jonathan and Carrie begin a timid exploration into the world of lust, something merely glanced in a missed opportunity transpiring at a Taipei love hotel. Then the balance of pheromone power shifts to see Carrie and Shane give it a go, with friendship remaining at the forefront all along.

Sure there's a desire to find out more about what drives people as they discover new ground in themselves. And the rustic, faux-retro feel (looks like they were indeed going for a late 90's setting) helps in avoiding gimmicks and other lifestyle distractions. Yet, Eternal Summer goes by unnoticed almost, and by the time its so-called sensational climax arrives the average viewer would be challenged to do more than tick a box on a checklist. Yes, it's still not a commonplace theme in cinema overall, let alone Asian cinema, but so much more could have been done with it.

Seriously, given a more mature crew at the wheel, Eternal Summer could have been deftly transformed into something to talk about for a while as a symbol of encompassing gay themes, or at the very least as a brain-boggling surreal love flick in the vein of 1999's Where Have all The Flowers Gone with Zhou Xun.

Bereft of potency, Eternal Summer inhabits a perpetual limbo state populated by movies that look good (the Taiwan countryside makes for some lush environs), are capably written on paper and could have been infinitely more aggressive in going about their business, but didn't.

That's a shame and not the type of shot in the arm Taiwan's filmmakers need. We're still waiting for that particular season to come along.

Rating: * * *

Hsiao-chuan Chang Should Be A Star!

[olearytko · 10/10 · 12 April 2008]

In a perfect world actor Hsiao-chuan Chang would be a star. He is the most subtle and sexiest actor I have seen in decades. His face is a knockout---especially his perfect lips. But the innocence he brings to his character is heart stopping.

Eternal Summer is a subtle and sexy Taiwanese movie that is beautifully directed and written by Leste Chen. Every scene and camera shot is perfection.

I found myself going back and watching scenes over and over again---especially, of course, the highly erotic love scene between male actors Bryant Chang and Hsiao-chuan Chang.

Gorgeous. Sexy. Subtle. True.

Bravo.

Feels Lacking

[Neon_Gold · 5/10 · 15 November 2021]

This movie unfortunately is a mess for me. I can see this really cute movie in here somewhere but it is tangled up in so much issues.

The script feels like half of it is missing. It doesn't have any "connective tissue" holding the scenes together. Random scenes will just follow each other with no rhyme or reason how we got there. I don't need to be led around by the nose but it would be nice to have some sort of idea why/how things happened.

This is also hot helped by the fact this movie moves at a breakneck pace.

The message in here was also a little muddy for me. I honestly don't know what it was trying to say. But I appreciate the effort to tell a story like this in 2006 and in countries where these stories are not common.

a beautiful movie

[saponga · 9/10 · 26 December 2010]

Firstly I thought: oh boy, just another movie I know I'm going to think later, why I wasted my time watching it. Not being from Taiwan and not speaking mandarin, the movie actually was a big surprise. With actors I'm not familiar with but the type of people we could say, "the neighbor next door", which also gave the movie a more sense of reality, a sense of something that could really have happened with the neighbor next door. Or maybe, even with any of us. It's just a movie about teenagers growing up and learning about love and getting trapped in conflicting feelings. The beauty of this movie is they didn't need huge cinematographic production. No need of cursing, no need of explicit sex scenes, no need of over-doings to tell the story of a strong friendship being trembled. With also, a really nice soundtrack. I definitely enjoyed have watched it! Drop the idea of big productions, drop the language barrier and enjoy it...

A whole mess

[Samx_ · 3/10 · 25 December 2022]

First, the girl seriously pissed me off. She had many opportunities to come clean and admit what she did was wrong but nope.

You knew he had feelings for his friend and you still went after said friend !!

Then Jonathan, oh my god! Instead of confessing to his friend he goes and hurts his feelings by telling him he was forced to be his friend.

Then there's Shane suddenly kissing and sleeping with him 😑? That came out of nowhere like, there's no explanation why he did that and even after that happened he didn't even stop to ponder wether perhaps he has feelings for Jonathan or something.

Anyways, seriously, a whole mess.

Beautiful portrayal of human relationships

[Gordon-11 · 1 July 2007]

This film is about the friendship and relationship of 2 schoolboys and a schoolgirl in rural Taiwan.

This film is slow, but it is beautifully made. The characters are developed very well. The plot is touching and intense. The psychological turmoil of Jonathan is portrayed well through his expressions and his behaviour. The film successfully portrays teenage identity confusion, jealousy, passion and love. It is a beautiful portrayal of same sex feelings.

Only one comment though, I think the director uses too much mirrors. I can think of at least five scenes that uses a mirror (and nothing else can be seen apart from the mirror) to reflect what is going on in the other side of the room. The technique can add depth and can offer great composition of the shot, but I think it really is overused in the movie.

story of frendship, love, confusion, acceptance and sacrifice

[sashafluffy · 10/10 · 24 June 2008]

one of the best films I've seen, story of friendship, love, confusion and sacrifice. every character in this movie showed every emotion a human being can give....jonathan will give you love, confusion, sacrifice...shane will give you love and acceptance....carrie will give you acceptance and sacrifice...,,,it made me cry....it is as beautiful as brokeback mountain...the actors were very good...they acted as if they're no cameras...the musical score is superb, right music for the right emotions...the way the director did the love scene near the end was outstanding, it showed passion without being obscene, the dialogues in the ending was perfect...this is one movie you should have a copy....it will teach you the true meaning of acceptance, love and sacrifice

A tale of two guys and one girl

[jal4eva · 9/10 · 8 May 2007]

Sheng Xia Guang Nian tells the tale of two guys and one girl's love triangle relationship. From when they were in grade school to them in high school waiting to enter university. Kang Zheng Xing as a grade schooler was a good student, obedient and hardworking, he was made by the teacher to be Yu Shou Heng's partner and from then his studies was affected. Still, he was mild mannered and nice, but afflicted with emotional upheavals.

Yu Shou Heng was a boy with ADD, very mischievous, very naughty. He didn't have any friends and Kang Zheng Xing became his first friend. Yu Shou Heng matured over the years to become the basketball team's star player in high school and even made it into the university team. He's tall, dark, athletic, outspoken and provides a good contrast to the mild Kang Zheng Xing. Despite all that, the two of them remained close friends going to and from school together.

I really like the parts which Yu Shou Heng would pick up Kang Zheng Xing, in his bicycle and his motor scooter later. It's like the standard recurring motif in all films of this genre. Ya, it reminded me of Cardcaptor Sakura where Touya would never fail to pick up Yukito to go to school together.

Du Hui Jia was a girl from Hong Kong who came between the two friends. She was first Kang Zheng Xing's girlfriend after they got to know each other from the newspaper club, then they skipped classes to go up Taipei together and even checked into a motel. But after Kang Zheng Xing rejected her, she got to know Yu Shou Heng better and after a few encounters and with Yu Shou Heng making into university, the two of them got together behind Kang Zheng Xing's back.

I think Du Hui Jia was portrayed very well, seeing her torn between the two guys, and her knowing Kang Zheng Xing's secret yet not being able to do anything, and even coming between the two guys, it's quite difficult. Yu Shou Heng was quite evenly portrayed, but I thought that he became very stereotypical of all shounen-ai couples which made his feelings for Du Hui Jia seem rather awkward. Special mention is reserved for Kang Zheng Xing. His internal emotional struggles was so well portrayed that I really felt so deeply for him. That actor Bryant Chang won the Golden Horse award as New Performer for this role. That explains the well portrayal of Kang Zheng Xing.

The film was quite slow paced which allowed for the emotional development of the various characters, I liked it. Though sometimes it can fall a bit too melodramatic, but it's not really that indulgent. The story is sad, but not to crying/wailing kind of sad, it's the sadness that hits you in the guts and make you think about the characters whole night long kind of sad.

With the two guys one girl theme, I'd first think of comparing it with Fleeing by Night, only that Eternal Summer is more explicit in the expression of emotions of love. It's not like I don't like sex scenes, but somehow I prefer more implicit relationships. It's like preferring shounen-ai to yaoi.

sweet and bitter

[countymd · 8/10 · 14 July 2007]

Eternal summer is a sweet and bitter love triangle between guys and one girl. Johnathan, the shy and reserved, fell for his best friend, Shane, the outgoing and sporty. Carrie who initially fell for Johnathan then became in love with Shane. Not sure if Carrie was really in love with Shane or just used Shane to get close to Johnathan. It is very hard to believe that Shane had spent one intimate night with Johnathan and still see him as his best friend. I think Shane also has some feelings for Johnathan more than friendship. It seems to me that these two developed feelings for each other over the long period of their friendship. Shane is prob. bisexual but he probably doesn't realize it. The film has a lot of implications that Shane seems confused, lost, and even edgy without Johnathan around more so than without Carrie. There is no explicit ending for these 3 at the end. I can understand how Johnathan felt when he found out his "best friend" had a girlfriend, the hurt and rejection he felt yet he couldn't tell the others. I can understand how Shane felt when he could only watch Shane fall asleep and control his reactions all because this is not acceptable by the society and not knowing how Shane felt about him. At the end, Shane said that he is really lonely and sees Johnathan as his truly best friend. I really have doubts about what he said. I really believe that Shane sees Johnathan more than a best friend but he is prob. in denial and confused, too.. Only if Johnathan can ask Shane if Shane loves him, too... The music is great, very touching. Both Johnathan and Shane gave strong performances. Carrie is good, too but didn't shine as the other two. I wish the movie has a really ending..

Totally missed the mark

[qui_j · 2/10 · 22 October 2021]

This movie would have been good if it were not for the totally disjointed and rubbish script that failed to tell a story. The dialog seemed to have been improvised, and the editing was so poor that the scenes totally lack any continuity. The movie is just a complete failure on all levels! It's a shame because the theme is a good one, but the story fails to be told in a coherent manner!

very moving

[glennaa11 · 8/10 · 9 February 2007]

I agree with the other review that this film is very moving. It is not a perfect film but I enjoyed it very much. The music is rather syrupy which lends to the film's tear jerking nature. But the story is very well done and the performances of the leads are very strong and they do have very good chemistry. I'm not sure that the sex scene really made a whole lot of sense to me and there seemed to be a fair amount edited out of the story which might have made the film better and fleshed things out a bit more. I think the characters are rather relatable for most gay guys. I certainly had my share of straight friends who I was in love with over the years. And I liked the way the story is told from the beginning of their friendship. I wasn't sure if Carrie was supposed to be the same girl as the one at the beginning who gets her hair cut by Shane. Definitely worth seeing.

At first compelling but ultimately nauseating

[yduric · 1/10 · 11 November 2015]

I must admit, to my great shame, that I was also convinced by this crap upon first viewing: I have to admit, like other viewers pointed it out, that it is nicely filmed, that the complexities and subtleties of the love triangle formed by Jonathan, Carrie and Shane, the main characters of the movie, are well-rendered, and that it plays well with the ambiguity about Shane, one of the two male characters of the film, who may unconsciously harbour the same feelings that Jonathan, the other male character, consciously has for him.

Everything plays well for almost the entire duration of the movie, until we arrive at a disgusting moment, that all of a sudden struck me after a second viewing and totally ruins the movie: it is the moment when Jonathan is studying at night with Shane lying drunk on the bed and the latter, (it is a little bit hard to describe an obscene act with polite words, but since foul language is prohibited if you want to write a review on IMDb..) literally FORCES HIS WAY INTO HIM, in other words, RAPES HIM: a proof is that Jonathan's scream at this moment is definitely not a scream of pleasure, but a scream of pain. And what stuns me the most is that the following morning, they so ridiculously express their so-called 'feelings' on the beach, as if nothing had happened. What is all the more disgusting is that if Shane had done the same to Carrie, the female character, everyone would have yelled 'RAPE!', but here, it seems to be perfectly admitted, and the only conclusion that can be drawn is that it is a filthy homophobic message, that is to say: 'Oh, this is not surprising, since they are engaged in a homosexual act, it happens all the time, all of them are more or less rapists!' However, as far as I know, RAPE id a CRIME in the vast majority of the countries of this world, liberal or conservative.

So, fundamentally, this crap of a movie, and the fact that it was so well-praised, is only the not-so surprising reflection of the fact that, contrarily to what the politically correct speech try to brainwash us with, in recent years, homophobia has become more and more pervasive and is increasing.

Thsi is the reason why, after having initially given a 10 to this crap, I changed it, and gave it a 1. which I think is far more appropriate...

Beautifully photographed, mostly disjointed and mediocre, but with one story point so great it makes it all worthwhile

[jm10701 · 28 November 2012]

The only consistently outstanding thing about Eternal Summer is the photography. It's gorgeous. There are times when the way the camera moves through a scene is so fascinating, so evocative and sensual, that I neither know nor care what the actors are doing - which is a good thing, because they're rarely doing anything worth watching.

The girl and the boy who plays Shane are pretty good sometimes, and the boy who plays Jonathan is great in the very first scene, when he looks into the camera and smiles before leading us out the door and into the past - his only smile in the whole movie.

The mostly piano score stays comfortably in the background except in crucial scenes, when it swells intrusively and annoyingly in its attempt to force us to be caught up in the drama we see, and succeeds only in detracting from it.

The big sex scene is sweet enough, but it's about as believable as if Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford did one. Some straight actors can pull it off - better than many gay actors - but not these two.

I like the slightly ambiguous ending, but the fact that the whole movie is a flashback means the first scene helps a lot in tying the end together. The story is unusual enough that it could have been interesting, and it actually is, sometimes, but not often enough to carry the movie.

There's nothing new about a gay boy in love with his straight best friend, or about a girl who's in love with the gay but settles for the straight. What IS new is the marvelous extent to which this straight guy is willing to become whatever his friend needs him to be - without at all compromising his strong sense of himself - and with no resentment at all, no holding his nose while he does something that disgusts him, no hint of martyrdom - only love.

That alone makes this movie - despite its many weaknesses and faults - very special. If there actually were even one such straight man on the face of the earth, this world would be a better place.

(The DVD cover is misleading. There is no such scene in the movie, with the three of them lying entwined together in the sand, or anywhere else - not even in the deleted scenes.)

What could have been

[gzxqqy · 4/10 · 24 December 2023]

The story was beautiful until the woman entered....she should have left them alone. She knew she came between them long before the scene on the beach...she couldn't find anyone else...it paints women horribly she couldn't have who she actually wanted so she stuck around for Shane she liked the attention from day one...I don't understand why it couldn't have been a beautiful story of discovery for the two best friends...even after he dates her he still sleeps with him.... Shane saw the struggle he was going through and so did she but she knew why and dated him anyway.....why was she always around but never gave Jonathan support...she steals the love of his life in his face and they wonder why he is struggling. This was just so sad to watch.