Break Up 100 (2014) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version) Blu-ray Region A

As typical of cafe movies, Break Up 100 creates a whimsical, romanticized urban setting in which quirky customers bring side stories, quirky staff add light diversions (or in this case, a cappella serenades by the four members of C AllStar), and a cup of coffee holds profound meaning. On the not so romanticized side is the romance between Barbara and Sam, a comfortable, stagnant relationship filled with constant arguing over work, money and responsibilities. They bristle at each other's flaws and know the other party won't change, but at the same time, they also understand that what they have with each other isn't bad at all and not something that can be easily given up. The push and pull between Barbara and Sam reaches a possible breaking point upon their 100th breakup.

When the protagonists' relationship nosedives, the film too suddenly goes from bright and loud to sulky and bittersweet. Neither parts of the story are outstanding, but both are effective enough in conveying contemporary relationship dilemmas. The film finely draws out the defeated realization of having to give up a part of oneself in order to make a relationship (and adulthood) work and the helpless anxiety of watching one's relationship wither – experiences that may hit close to home for some audiences.

Ekin Cheng is fine playing some variation of himself, the playful, laidback kidult with equally immature buddies, but doesn't bring anything new to the table. Instead, the greatest revelation of Break Up 100 is actually Chrissie Chau. She who once represented the ubiquitous apex of Hong Kong's sexy pseudo-model trend a few years ago has also outpaced most of her contemporaries with steady acting work, often in leading roles. Chrissie isn't exactly known for being a thespian and her prolific filmography yields mostly B-movie fare, but she has shown herself to be solid and likeable when given solid material to work with, such as her supporting turns in Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons and The Killer Who Never Kills. Before watching the film, I had doubts about Chrissie's lead casting opposite Ekin Cheng, but I came out of it very pleasantly surprised with her performance.

The character of Barbara is both a validation and a vindication of the demanding Hong Kong girl stereotype. She's hard to deal with but undeniably hardworking, calculating but goodhearted, stubborn but supportive, short-tempered but forgiving. Chrissie plays this normal, practical, world-weary woman with the right amount of self-righteous pushiness and without any pretensions of cuteness or sexiness. Unexpectedly, Chrissie makes a pretty convincing everywoman and her performance contributes greatly towards Break Up 100's success as a small but sincere relationship drama.