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Maybe It's Love – Kani (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1984
Director: Angie Chen
Writer: Lee Pik-Wah
Cast: Cherie Chung, Kent Tong, Chui Hoh-Ying, Alex Man, Elaine Jin

Release Date: December 10th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 34 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono Mandarin
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $41.98

"Following her parent's separation, 10 year-old Marbles is sent to live with her grandmother in the outskirts of Hong Kong. Also new to town is the seductive pageant queen Rita (Cherie Chung) whose skin-tight leotards pique the interest of a dashing postman (Kent Tong) already involved with the shopkeeper's wife, Lin (Elaine Jin). Meanwhile, the curious Marbles, who has made it a habit of spying on her neighbors with her binoculars, witnesses a murder on a stormy night. A ragtag team of kid detectives comes together. Who is the killer? Where is the body?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Maybe It's Love was digitized by Celestial Pictures and is presented in 1080p."

Maybe It's Love comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38.1 GB

Feature: 25.7 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, black levels are strong, image clarity and compression are solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono Mandarin)

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese, and a DTS-HD mono mix in Mandarin. Quality- and range-wise, these two audio tracks are comparable. The score is well represented, dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language track and removable traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese subtitles for the Mandarin language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 8 seconds, DTS-HD mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with producer Lawrence Wong (4 minutes 15 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Angie Chen (25 minutes 27 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English with removable English subtitles), a short film directed by Angie Chen titled The Visit (16 minutes 44 seconds, DTS-HD mono Cantonese with burnt-in English and Mandarin subtitles), a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 2,000 units), and a 16-page booklet with an essay titled What is Love (Baby Don’t Hurt Me); The Prismatic Desires of Maybe It's Love written by Katherine Connell.

Summary:

Besides being Angie Chen’s directorial debut, Maybe It's Love was the first Shaw Brothers film directed by a woman. She would only direct two more films: My Name Ain't Suzie (also for Shaw Brothers) and Chaos by Design (for Golden Harvest).

A curious 10-year-old girl living with her grandmother after her parents separated believes that she witnessed a murder on a stormy night.

Maybe It's Love has two central characters; the first of these revolves around a disabled 10-year-old girl named Marbles, and the other revolves around a beauty pageant queen named Rita. These two characters could not be more unlike, and yet the way in which the narrative brings their stories together never feels forced. Though things start off as a story about a young girl trying to fit in and a woman unlucky in love, the main focal point becomes the disappearance of a woman who’s cheating on her husband. That said, the narrative does an excellent job concealing the killers’ identity.

Hong Kong cinema is known for mixing genres and weird tonal shifts. Drama, mystery, and erotica are some of the genres in Maybe It's Love. When it comes to moments of drama, these are the least arresting, while the mystery moments, which feel inspired by Alfred Hitchcock, are the strongest. That said, the most surprising aspect of Maybe It's Love is its moments of erotica. Far too often moments of erotica are crudely executed; fortunately, the way they are shot in Maybe It's Love is some of the best crafted I have ever seen.

The two leads, Cherie Chung (Wild Search), who portrays Rita, and Chui Hoh-Ying, who portrays Marbles, really stand out. Chui Hoh-Ying delivers a convincing portrayal of an inquisitive young girl whose curiosity puts her in danger. Despite Maybe It's Love being one of only two films she ever appeared in, she delivers a remarkable performance beyond her experience. Cherie Chung looks stunning throughout and perfectly cast as the object of desire. Whether her character is prancing around in a leotard, sunbathing in a bikini, or having sex, the camera ensures she always looks her best.

Though many mystery films have featured an amateur sleuth who solves a murder, Maybe It's Love puts an interesting spin on this type of character by making her a 10-year-old girl. The way the narrative shows several characters' violent interactions with the missing woman on the same night is another one of its strengths. Despite several characters having a motive, the killer's identity is not revealed until the moment when they try to kill Marbles. Ultimately, Maybe It's Love is an engaging film that quickly draws you in and holds your attention until its moment of truth.

Kani gives Maybe It's Love an excellent release that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.