I saw this film recently on TV and even on a small screen found it a wonderful viewing experience.

The story moves along at a graceful pace allowing us to observe a 'classic' love triangle in the context of 1930s Chinese culture. Others have provided excellent plot overviews and I would encourage you to read them below.

This film reminded me of the 'love' issues raised from a different angle in the Korean movie 'Bungee Jumping of Their Own'. Both movies tackle challenging subjects in a sensitive manner and leave you thinking about the characters and the plot for months afterward.

I am keen to see 'Ye ben' on a big screen and encourage anyone who wants a truly moving experience to do likewise.

For me - 9/10

It is a story about two men and a woman --- more likely two boys and a girl as they were innocent and confused in their own way.

There may be no more complicated things than three kinds of love twisted between three close friends constantly influenced by surroundings. There are other films about this triangle, but set in the unsettling historic period before the country's new foundation and mixed with the fascinating Chinese verbal culture of Kun drama, this film offers one of the deepest and most overwhelming cinematic experiences I've ever had. Lei Huang and Rene Liu, as usual, brought forward nostalgically exquisite acting and Chris Babida's music was just as graceful as his any other works. Chao-te Yin was a surprising found, handsome with both manly fortitude and feminine delicacy.

It's original, subtle and very literarily poetic. The dialogues are sometimes so neotericly literary that it almost reminds me of Lu Xun, Lao She and all those great writers once in the junior Chinese books. Thus, some pieces were very unnatural as being said by the characters, but I think there is no problem alike when you only get their meanings from the subtitles, but also that's when some of its unique charm lost. I guess that's a universal problem when it comes to foreign language films.

It may not be perfect due to some factitious parts here and there, which in no way harm the beauty and depth on the whole. Most importantly, it manages to tell us: love is multifarious, but the universal truth about it is it comes from the heart. Be it tortured by circumstances, it will always find a way to last.

Strongly recommend it to Chinese viewers who need a nostalgic introspection and foreign film lovers who want something totally different from other foreign language cinematic experiences (Chinese ones of exclusive lower-class depiction included).

Set in Pre-War World II's China, `Fleeing by night' was filmed with a tinted vision of love in its various incantation. A central star-crossed love triangle forms the film's basic narrative, one that is fraud with hurdles of unrequited emotion, forbidden love and karmic twists of fate. All these elements culminated into an unexpectedly moving film and a poignant piece of Chinese cinema.

Despite its artsy trappings, this bittersweet melodrama (opening in Singapore this week), was a surprise box-office hit back home in Taiwan. One can understand why.

The cinematography was top rate. Each shot was framed with a hypnotic grace, designed to evoke a sense of nostalgic longing. The same can be said about its music, strategically employed to set the shifting mood throughout the story. The ensemble performances of the cast were also equally illuminating, generating genuine audience empathy for their characters. During many the unspoken scenes, the intensity on the screen was heightened by the nuanced articulation of its actors, bringing with it many stolen moments of clarity and poignancy.

(Spoilers Alert!!! Please proceed to the next paragraph if you have not seen the film as I will be revealing a major plot point in the below paragraph in my discussion of a scene from the movie.) Case in point, the scene where both male leads sat side by side in their car, juxtaposed by the beautifully captured shot of falling snow on the outside. Stirring strains of fiddling strings echoed in the air. The atmosphere was charged with a suspenseful undercurrent so gripping, the theatre I was in, sat silent with anticipation. For that scene, both of the male leads had reached a pivotal cross road in their relationship, and the path with which they choose would, unknown to them, profoundly impact the rest of their lives. Kudos to both actors for fleshing out their inner turmoil and conflicted emotion with such clarity, sensitivity and respectful subtlety. (This was my favourite scene of the entire film and arguably the emotional peak in its narrative arc).

Alas, as with most art house projects, this film does have one indulging misstep. The film seemed half an hour too long as the last quarter of the film was inundated with one too many elements of melodramatic plot devices. This unfortunately tilted the film's narrative balance slightly, thus diluting its overall emotional resonance. Prudent editing would definitely have helped in, not only improving its narrative flow, but elevating its quality to ‘Classics' calibre.{I.e. In the same league as `To Live'(Hou Zhe by Zhang Yi Mou) or `Xiu Xiu - the sent down girl'(Tian Yu by Joan Chen)}.

In retrospect, the above flaw is insufficient in toppling the overall achievement of `Fleeing by night'. I am won over by its beauty and sensitivity. I admired its old world nostalgia and respected its conviction in exploring challenging themes. By closing credits, this film has secured my two thumbs up. One of the most moving and thought provoking experience from Chinese cinema in a long long time.