TIMELESS LOVE (2012)

Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Lim Koon Hwee , Dasmond Koh
Cast: Joshua Ang, Aloysius Pang, Cynthia Ruby Wang, Kimberly Chia, Michelle Tay, Xu Bin, Josephine Chan, Eugene Lim
Runtime: 1 hr 29 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:

Opening Day: 8 March 2012

Synopsis: Amongst Morgan’s grandmother’s belongings, Morgan found an island’s lease and also, gazed upon a few pictures of her grandmother and a stranger posing intimately in an island. He somehow recalled that his grandmother used to tell him stories of her regrets with regards to a watch and the island when he was younger… Intrigued on the identity of the mysterious man and to escape the paparazzi, he decided to head to the island to unravel the mysteries and seek answers. 

Movie Review:

Timeless Love is a locally produced movie from DJ turned TV host turned director Dasmond Koh and Lim Koon Hwee. Basically, the movie is about Morgan (Aloysius Pang), a rich brat who embarks on a journey with his friends to uncover the mystery behind his late grandmother and the island that his grandmother owned.

Before continuing with the critique, if anyone had watched Morgan Spurlock’s “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” (2011), you would have learned that there exist a very delicate relationship between the movie maker and the sponsors. Eventually, it all boils down to budget (aka the money) in exchange for product placement. This is one point that was very evident in this movie. Look no further than the English title of the movie; one could already tell that the movie has something to do with ‘time’. And indeed, subsequently watches have been tirelessly featured every now and then, so much so that even the plot of the movie has such a high play on the concept of ‘time’.

“Time and tide waits for no man” is probably the core message of the movie. However, this is a message that is taught to us since young and there is no clear effort to repackage it such that it could be understood in a new light. In the end, what we do get to see is the clichéd dialogues exchanged between Morgan and his grandmother.

Do not be surprised that the grandmother, more affectionately known to Morgan as “nai nai”, is an attractive and young lady in her 20s. You’ve guessed it. It seems like a guest actress has been forcefully added to the cast. This is none other than Taiwanese actress Cynthia Ruby Wang, or more commonly known as Wang Xin Ru. The rest of the cast consist mainly of young local actors and actresses, including Aloysius Pang, Xu Bin, Kimberly Chia and Joshua Ang. Apart from Joshua Ang, who has been acting since a very tender age, the acting was rather amateurish.

It has been previously reported on local papers that Joshua felt that actors’ creative freedom was restricted too much in this movie. Indeed, Joshua’s role in Timeless Love clearly pales in comparison with his previous roles, such as the one that brought him to fame in “I Not Stupid” franchise from local director Jack Neo. Perhaps there is some truth in the report! To top all that off, the way the young actors and actresses spoke and articulated was also a little distracting. As a result, you see little depth in the characters, so much so that they seem to be reading off memorized scripts more than anything.

Thankfully, Kimberly Chia did some justice to herself and her role. There was a particular scene that was impactful and affecting. But the goodness could only last that long… The little boy, who played the role of the housekeeper’s (Michelle Tay) son, also deserves some special mention! He did the least that he could, to keep people’s attention on him and spoke properly, and was really entertaining.

Unfortunately, the movie ended rather abruptly. Perhaps it was intended to be an open ending, leaving it for the viewers to interpret. However ultimately, there was little focus throughout the movie; clearly a production lacking oomph. Can this make it big in the local box ticket office? Time will tell…

Movie Rating:

(As reminded countless times, please spend your time wisely!)

Review by Tho Shu Ling