Because this had the two main actors from Lost and Found, Takeshiro Kaneshiro andKelly Chan, I had very high, probably unreasonable, expectations for this film. It didn't quite match up to Lost and Found, but Anna Magdalena is an excellent film in its own right. I like a film that is daring and this film is definitely daring.

This film tells the story Chan Kar-Fu (Takeshi), Yau Muk-Yan (Aaron Kwok), and Mok Man-Yee (Kelly Chan). Chan Kar-Fu is an extremely quiet and reserved piano tuner who can't play the piano (in a bit of perhaps too obvious irony). Yau Muk-Yan is a charming and shiftless womanizer and Mok Man-Yee is the beautiful, but aloof, woman who lives above them. The film is divided into four unequal length parts, two movements (I wonder about the translation here. Maybe it should have been 'solo' or 'theme'), a duet, and variations. In the first movement, 'Yau Muk-Yan', Chan Kar-Fu and Yau Muk-Yan meet, and for some reason, Yau Muk-Yan ends up moving into Chan Kar-Fu's apartment. I guess Chan Kar-Fu is just too nice. However, there is also an element of envy in their relationship. Part of him wishes that he could be as 'successful' with women as Yau Muk-Yan.

In the second movement, 'Mok Man-Yee', Mok Man-Yee moves into the apartment above them. She has a grand piano upon which she constantly attempts to play Bach's Minuet in G from his Notebook for Anna Magdalena. This is a set of pieces that Bach wrote while courting his soon to be wife, and this piece is the most famous of them. Mok Man-Yee is a horrible piano player and her playing tortures Yau Muk-Yan, although it enchants Chan Kar-Fu, who falls in love with her.

Up to this point, the movie has been a good, but not terribly original, love triangle story. Fortunately the acting, particularly Takeshi, is enough to keep you interested.

It is in the fourth section, variations, that the movie truly shines, both in the script and visually. This fourth section tells the story of Cross and Zero, played by Kelly Chan and Takeshi, orphans who grow up to be adventurers. The sets in this section are gorgeous, sort of a cross between the baroque (appropriate given the presence of JS Bach) and the modern, reminding me very much of the look of Saviour of the Soul.

This fourth section features a number of variations on Bach's Minuet in a G, including a rock version. This section is pure magic, and is what makes the film special. We get inside Chan Kar-Fu's head and really learn what he is thinking.

I enjoyed all the performances, although Kelly Chan really doesn't have much to do until the last section of the film. Don't expect to see much of Leslie Cheung or Anita Yuen, as they have very little screen time.

Part of the appeal of Anna Magdalena was that I really empathized with Chan Kar-Fu, being a person who is not terribly forward myself. I've also observed that all too often, women appear to prefer the 'bad boy' to the person who would probably be be good for them (does this apply to men as well?).

There's also some interesting original music for the film. Much of the incidental background music is based on Bach's 'Anna Magdalena' minuet. This is fairly subtle but a nice touch to reward a careful listener. (ok, I have a music degree so I find this extra fascinating).