| I Am the Secret in Your Heart | |||||||||
| Native Name: |
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| Director: | Lai Meng-chieh | ||||||||
| Producer: | Chen Chi-yuan Hu Bai-wei | ||||||||
| Screenplay: | Lai Meng-chieh | ||||||||
| Starring: | Moon Lee Tsao Yu-ning Shou Lo | ||||||||
| Music: | Sun Shao-ting Alexander H. Wong Sing Wu Cho Chi-jou | ||||||||
| Cinematography: | Kao Tzu-hao | ||||||||
| Editing: | Kipo Lin | ||||||||
| Studio: | Rose International Entertainment | ||||||||
| Distributor: | mm2 Entertainment | ||||||||
| Runtime: | 112 minutes | ||||||||
| Country: | Taiwan | ||||||||
| Language: | Mandarin | ||||||||
I Am the Secret in Your Heart is a 2024 Taiwanese romance film directed and written by Lai Meng-chieh. The film is adapted from the 2014 novel of the same name by Macchiato and stars Moon Lee, Tsao Yu-ning, and Shou Lo. It centers around an ordinary schoolgirl (Lee) who finds herself in a love triangle between a newly transferred student (Tsao) and her childhood friend (Lo).
The film was released theatrically in Taiwan on 2 August 2024.
Wang, a high school student rumored to have a relationship with her childhood friend Yuzu, arrives at school on the first day. She and her friends are accidentally hit by Yuzu's basketball, smashing their bubble tea and getting soaked. Enraged, Wang confronts Yuzu, which triggers a metal chalk box that nearly hits her. Yuzu tries to protect Wang with his body before the box is kicked away by a new transfer student named Cheng Yih. Impressed by Cheng's actions, Wang becomes interested in him and attempts to strike up a conversation, but Cheng remains very taciturn.
One day, while Cheng is walking his dog, White, Wang follows him, and they begin to chat. However, White runs off, and Wang rushes to save him, injuring herself in the process. While tending to her wounds and carrying her to the hospital, Cheng notices a scar on Wang's forehead that resembles one from a girl who saved him from bullies during their childhood before he moved to the United States. Cheng has always wanted to fulfill his promise to reunite with that girl, but Wang seems to have no memory of him. Meanwhile, Hsing-hui, a senior who secretly loves Yuzu, takes a photo of Cheng carrying Wang and shows it to Yuzu, making him jealous. Following their encounter and Cheng's growing interest in Wang, the two become good friends. While Cheng attempts to recreate the scene at a tunnel near the school where Wang saved him in childhood, Wang coincidentally misses it. The bullies Cheng fights are Yuzu's friends, leading to a confrontation between Yuzu and Cheng. Yuzu tells Cheng he won't let Wang go for him. Later, at the school's music festival, Yuzu invites Wang to serve as the emcee. During the show, Wang mentions that she doesn't have feelings for Yuzu to avoid upsetting his fans, prompting Hsing-hui to question whether the girl is worth Yuzu's wait, to which he responds positively. Heartbroken, Hsing-hui rushes off the stage in tears, shocking everyone. However, Wang quickly steps in to sing with Yuzu. Cheng, who just arrives to watch the show, feels desperate seeing Wang and Yuzu having fun on stage.
The next day, Cheng takes Wang her to the roof, calling her "casual" and asserting that they should keep their distance. Upset, Wang finds comfort in Yuzu, who skips class with her for a fun day at the arcade. That night, they return to the school's rock club room, where Yuzu confesses his feelings for Wang, but she pretends to doze off and misses it. Encouraged by her parents, Wang decides to talk to Cheng, making up an excuse that she thinks it is his birthday. She finds Cheng walking White in the park, and they apologize to each other. Wang insists that Cheng eat birthday cake and make a birthday wish. However, after making two wishes, White suddenly vomits and collapses. The two rush to find a vet in the rain, but all the clinics are closed. In desperation, Wang calls Yuzu for help, and he manages to persuade a nearby vet to take White in. Unfortunately, White has already stopped breathing and dies. To make matters worse, when a distraught Cheng returns home, his mother confronts him, revealing she has discovered him sneaking back to the rural town instead of sticking to his study plans. Cheng reluctantly agrees to return to the United States with his mother. The next morning, Cheng goes to bid farewell to Wang. She cries and confesses her love for him, while Cheng promises they will keep their relationship at a distance.
Wang and Cheng keep their promise and facetime during key moments, with Cheng accompanying Wang through high school, university, and her first job. However, after several years, their conversations grow dull, and they find themselves drifting apart without formally breaking up. Ten years after high school, a classmate of Wang's is getting married and informs her that she has invited Cheng to the wedding. Meeting outside the church, Cheng confesses to Wang that he is still waiting for her and makes his third and final birthday wish, which is to live happily ever after together.
Also appearing in the film are Lin Mei-hsiu and Jackson Fan as Wang's mother and father;[2] Peggy Tsang as Vicky, Cheng's mother; and Porima Cheng as Hsing-hui, a senior in the rock club who secretly loves Yuzu.[3]
I Am the Secret in Your Heart was adapted from a romance web novel of the same name written by Macchiato and published on the Taiwanese forum Popo.[4] [5] The story is semi-autobiographical and was penned by Macchiato in 2012 after she discovered her boyfriend had cheated on her.[6] [7] The novel garnered over 4 million views, received positive feedback, and was published in print in 2014. Development for an adaptation began in the same year, and the screenplay took ten years to complete.[8] The project was greenlit by the National Development Fund of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency in March 2023.[9] Director Lai Meng-chieh joined the project after winning a Golden Bell Award for Mad Doctor (2022),[10] and Moon Lee, Tsao Yu-ning, and Shou Lo were announced as the lead actors in August 2023.[11] Before filming began, Tsao took acting, piano, and foreign language classes to prepare for her role.[12] A spin-off short story titled Ten Years was released alongside the tenth-anniversary reprint edition of the novel in 2024, with some of its content also incorporated into the film. The film was showcased by mm2 Entertainment at the project market of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in May 2024.[13] An official trailer and promotional poster were released on 1 June 2024.[14]
Principal photography began on 22 August 2023 in Kaohsiung.[15] [16] Filming mainly took place in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County.[17] The school scenes were primarily filmed at Kaohsiung Municipal Tsoying Senior High School and National Kangshan Senior High School, and location shooting occurred at the Pingtung Sugar Factory.[18] The shoot spanned one and a half months and concluded in Taipei in early October.[19] [20]
The film's theme song, "Heedless," was composed by End Chung, with lyrics written by him and performed by Shou Lo.[21] Moon Lee also covered the song alongside Lo in the film.
I Am the Secret in Your Heart premiered on 30 July 2024,[22] [23] and had its theatrical release in Taiwan on 2 August.[24] It was also selected to be showcased in the Teenage Minds, Teenage Movies section at the 29th Busan International Film Festival.[25]
I Am the Secret in Your Heart grossed 6.5 million NTD in its opening weekend,[26] and reached 8.7 million five days after its release.[27] By the second week, the film had accumulated 17 million.[28] It raked in 25 million by the third week,[29] and maintained this figure as of late September.
Thomas Kong of Esquire described I Am the Secret in Your Heart as a refreshing Taiwanese romantic comedy that captures the sweetness and challenges of first love, evoking nostalgic feelings while effectively portraying various forms of unspoken love in a simple yet heartfelt narrative.[30] Jonathan Hung of am730 described the film as a delightful addition to Taiwan's coming-of-age romance genre, following the commercial success of You Are the Apple of My Eye (2011), noting that it appeals to young audiences with its familiar yet romantic themes while effectively capturing the essence of unspoken love.[31]