Short Film Review: "The Story of 90 Coins" (2015)

The Story of 90 Coins Short Film Review

Written by Stuart D. Monroe

Released via Vimeo

Directed by Michael Wong

Written by Jackie Bai

2015, 9 minutes and 23 seconds, Not Rated

Starring:

Dongjun Han as Wang Yuyang

Zhuang Zhiqi as Chen Wen

Jose Acosta as Andre

Review:

Director Michael Wong left me virtually demanding a feature length version of his short film, The Tattooist. When he told me that he had an older short film that had also won a slew of awards but was the polar opposite of the unapologetic horror of The Tattooist, I decided to see what romance looked like through his lens.

I mean, didn’t we all dedicate songs to a girl at some point? Just me?

I wasn’t disappointed.

Aspiring fashion designer Chen Wen (Zhuang Zhiqi) is in love with Wang Yuyang (Dongjun Han; My People, My Country). He wants to marry, but she isn’t ready to. He asks her for 90 days, and he ends every day by giving her a 10-cent coin in a paper wrapper. He makes a promise to her that if she still doesn’t want to marry him after the 90 days, they’ll use the money for a farewell drink, but if she does they’ll use it for a marriage certificate. They fall even more in love but don’t marry, and the promise is forgotten. When Chen’s ambition and Wang’s lack of trust finally take center stage, it’s the relationship that falls apart. The 90 coins and the promise they symbolize, however, will stay in her heart. What is the true value of a true love promise in the face of your own ambition?

Michael Wong does indeed have a signature as a filmmaker, and it’s the ability to take the scenes of extreme emotion (be it romance or horror) and give them a wonderful dreamlike quality. His films are sharp and tightly shot without a trace of amateur-hour gaffs, and the music is always smartly used. Technically, Wong seems to be an old pro with a damn sharp eye.

The Story of 90 Coins lays it on a little sappy, but I see no reason to take umbrage with that. Other genres get to be over the top all the time; why should romance have to play it restrained? This isn’t a gritty realism tale; it’s a true love tale with an aim of making you feel what falling in love is really like. There’s an air of modern fairy tale to it that makes it all the more enchanting.

The music is used smartly for all the heartbreak that can be pulled from it, but it does get to be a tad much at times (mainly because the theme is quite generic). It’s not jarring, but it is noticeable. For the romantic out there, though, I highly doubt it’ll turn them away; The Story of 90 Coins is far too good at being a fully realized romantic fable that effectively tells the story of true love.

The moral of the story (given in ham-fisted fashion at the end) is to not let a promise become a beautiful memory. That’s pretty relevant in any time period, but maybe more so in times like the ones we’re living through now. First-rate romance with a message in one excellent short AND the ability to change gears to horror that also steals the show? That’s what I call establishing a wide range.

I think I’ll keep an eye on this Michael Wong fella.