Director: Chih-yen Yee
Starring: Bo-lin Chen, Lun-mei Guey, Shu-hui Liang

- Reviewed by Linda

The delight of going to film festivals is being surprised by a "little" film that sneaks up on you and completely surprises you. Blue Gate Crossing is one of these charming films—it had so won me over by the end, that I just wanted to scoop it up and coo (while wiping away tears), "You are soooo sweet and wonderful! Yes, you are!"

Masquerading a coming-of-age story, Blue Gate Crossing never lets you know where it is going. Kerou and Yuezhen, two high school girls, are the best of friends. Kerou (Bo-lin Chen) is a bit of a tomboy, putting up with her friend's obsessive crush on cute swimmer-boy Shihao (Shu-hui Liang). In a classic "go ask if he likes me" scenario, Kerou ends up talking to Shihao because her friend is too shy to meet him. Kerou ends up trying to convince the boy that her mysterious best friend is really a great person—but of course, he thinks the best friend doesn't exist. Shihao thinks Kerou is using the story as a cover because she has a crush on him. And now Shihao has a crush on Kerou.

At this point, the film becomes a marvelous tale of a growing friendship between a girl and a boy... something so rarely seen in the movies. Yuezhen sort of drops out of the picture as Kerou and Shihao do a sort of mutual-crush-on-each-other dance. But the wrench thrown into the works is the fact that Kerou confesses that she likes girls, not boys. The way this is handled in the friendship is remarkably real and mature. 

My hat goes off especially to the Shu-hui Liang who plays Shihao. He is so adorable in his genuine liking of this girl that you can't help but go, "Awww..." when he struggles with understanding the change in their relationship. Joining these two characters on their journey, you truly believe in the special bond that they form. Like I said, the film made me cry by the end, but in a good way. It would be a shame if this film doesn't get distribution, because it is a real treat.

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