Film Review: A Nail Clipper Romance (2017) - Hong Kong / China

A Nail Clipper Romance (2017) - Hong Kong / China

Reviewed by Andrew Chan

Cinematographer Jason Kwan is a wonderful talent and it is almost timely that he makes his directorial debut in the ridiculously themed, yet ultimately satisfying coming of age - A Nail Clipper Romance. Without doubt many scenes and moments are over the top, but it is the colour, beautiful Hawaii backdrop and pure indulgence of emotions that makes this a intriguing cocktail to endure. It helps that Joseph Chang and Zhou DongYu are seriously great actors and their chemistry is just too good to refuse. 

It is often said that if the romantic pairing works, the film is already half way to the success point. Joseph Chang is excellent as the person who still flatly believes in love despite all the warning signals, lies and past experiences. Chang is reserve and conservation due to his nature and is immediately smitten by the energetic Zhou DongYu who simply follows up her magnificent performance in last year's award winning Soul Mate. Playing the role of the "nail clipper monster", Zhou manages to be both genuine and vibrant.

All in all, A Nail Clipper Romance is a great start to Jason Kwan directorial career. The overindulgence may seem to be over the top, but it is precisely why the film works. The message is clear regarding love and believing and when Ekin Cheng ended up the wise old man in any film, it got to be a bonus. This is a good one, as long as you go with the flow, suspend your overwhelming beliefs and just enjoy the chemistry and love in the air. 

I rated it 3.5/5

Out on DVD and Blu Ray at: NeoFilmShop.com