Overview
A haunting melody leads to a love that transcends time and reality.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- wistful
- dreamy
- romantic
- romantic evening
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Jay Chou's direction, beautiful cinematography, evocative score, and Gwei Lun-Mei's performance, while finding the story's logic uneven and Chou's acting emotionally limited.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The relationship between Xiang Lun and Xiao Yu is shaped by a piano melody that enables contact across different times.
The mysterious piano composition and repeated performances are central to the film's time-travel premise.
The film emphasizes expressive piano playing, elegant cinematography, and music-driven visual details.
Xiao Yu's evasiveness and the unexplained melody make mystery and emotional uncertainty inseparable from the couple's courtship.
Films like Secret, and why
The Lake House
romantic time travel, first love, wistful atmosphere, and emotionally driven supernatural mystery
Il Mare
teen romance shaped by temporal displacement, melancholy longing, and a mystery surrounding the beloved
Be With You
music-centered romance with dreamlike fantasy, youthful intimacy, and a poignant emotional register
A Little Thing Called Love
school-set first love, musical performance, and visually polished romantic fantasy
Movie Details
- Director
- Jay Chou
- Release Date
- 2007-07-27
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (210)
Cast
- Jay Chou
- Gwei Lun-Mei
- Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
- Su Ming-Ming
- Alice Tzeng
- Alang Huang
- Devon Song
- Funky Tu
- Chan Yu-Hao
- Yuki Huang
Common questions
- What is Secret about?
- A piano student’s mysterious melody opens a path to a beautiful, time-bending first love.
- What is Secret like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Secret as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Secret violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Secret.
- What did critics think of Secret?
- Critics broadly praised Jay Chou's direction, beautiful cinematography, evocative score, and Gwei Lun-Mei's performance, while finding the story's logic uneven and Chou's acting emotionally limited.
- Which films are like Secret?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lake House, Il Mare, Be With You, and A Little Thing Called Love.
- How long is Secret?
- Secret runs 101 minutes.
