‘Dao Shu Shuo Ai Ni’ (a.k.a. ‘Yesterday Once More’) is a sci-fi drama centring on Yuxuan and Shuyan. The two meet by chance after not having seen each other since childhood. They soon develop a romantic relationship and move in together. A freak accident causes Yuxuan to take drastic and unconventional measures to try to save their love.
With an overtly saccharine opening, the film leans towards a hit-you-over-the head approach with showing the instant connection between Yuxuan and Shuyan as children. What follows, as we meet them again as adults, initially seems to be going down that same path. The film provides for a welcome change in tone following Yuxuan and Shuyan’s quarrel however, and after witnessing the accident that takes Shuyan, proceeds to adopt an even more calm and dreary atmosphere.
With Yuxuan making a wish to see Shuyan, he wakes the following morning believing it all to have been a bad dream. Reliving the same day however, he learns to accept what is happening and visits with his future self to reaffirm the notion that fate cannot be changed.
Following a further accident where Shuyan dies, the film follows a more bleak take on the 1993 ‘Groundhog Day’ philosophy, with our main character mourning the little time he has left with his love as he has the chance to relive their last day together two more times.
Trying to spend his last day with Shuyan to the fullest, Yuxuan opens up to her, comes clean about debt he had inherited from his father and helps her be honest with her mother about her chosen career path. Showing a more insightful and sincere approach to a romantic drama than could have been expected, the film delivers a sincerely perceptive and earnest exploration of Yuxuan and Shuyan’s relationship, bringing to light the quiet shared joy and true love that the two share.
Realising he is unable to live in a future without Shuyan, Yuxuan saves her life by sacrificing himself. The film delivers an unexpected shift, as the story now follows Shuyan. Piecing together the magical ability Yuxuan’s birthday candles from years ago made by his mother for him had granted him, Shuyan finds her way to one last ditch effort to save both of their lives, whilst sacrificing their love. Shuyan’s decision to go back in time and make sure the two never meet adds an additional level of sorrow to the love that would eventually have ended in tragedy, making the film poignant and somewhat haunting.
Unable to finalize the tale as a tragedy however, Yuxuan and Shuyan head for an undetermined time of happiness together as the film closes on Yuxuan walking into Shuyan’s cafe after she had kept her distance, with their future selves sharing an evening together.
‘Dao Shu Shuo Ai Ni’ would have worked even as a more superficial romantic film, delivering heart-warming montages, two loveable leads and a pastel laden frame for almost every scene. What exalts the movie beyond superfluous and forgettable schlock are the two leads, - Arthur Chen as Gu Yuxuan and Ye Zhou as Han Shuyan. The two take such dramatic turns to confer their shared love, embraced by one another so perfectly that the moments of their loss of each other truly do deliver a heartbreaking experience.
Shifting smoothly and swiftly between romance, drama and science fiction, ‘Dao Shu Shuo Ai Ni’ delivers on a heart-wrenching, sweet and a charmingly curious tale of love and loss that dares to venture beyond tired tropes. Even though it cannot help itself and delivers a happy finale, rather than an irksomely open ending, the film succeeds in swaying through a sea of emotions that is enjoyable, heartfelt and feels fresh.
Score: 3/4
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