Shanghai Kiss

Aroview: Cross-cultural rom-com follows a struggling Chinese-American actor (Leung) who must choose between his Shanghai roots or his exuberant all-American sweetheart (HEROES’ Panettiere) in Los Angeles.

Rising above your average Hollywood fare, this works best when soaking up the fluctuating tempo of sleepless Shanghai, paralleling LOST IN TRANSLATION in terms of cultural disconnect and emotional isolation. The romantic aspects of the story may feel a tad typical, but the same can’t be said of Leung’s refreshingly realist take on what it means to be an outsider no matter where you live.

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