''2 Become 1'' ( Literal Title: ''Perfect Match'') is a

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

romantic

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film directed by

Law Wing-Cheong Law Wing-Cheong (born 26 June 1966), also known as Vincent Lo, is a Hong Kong film editor, an assistant director, film director, and actor. He is best known for collaborating as an associate director for films made by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai o ...

and produced by

Johnnie To Johnnie To Kei-fung (born 22 April 1955) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter and film producer. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas. Intensely prolific, To has made films in a variety of genres, though in ...

. The film stars

Miriam Yeung Miriam Yeung (born 3 February 1974) is a Hong Kong actress and Cantopop diva. As of 2020, she has released more than 35 albums and has starred in more than 40 films. In 2012, Yeung won the Award for Best Actress at the 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards ...

as Bingo Leung, a working-class woman who discovers she has breast cancer. The film is based on

Xi Xi Hsi Hsi/Sai Sai/Xi Xi (; 7 October 1937 – 18 December 2022) was the pseudonym of the Hongkongers, Hong Kong author and poet Cheung Yin, "Ellen"/ (). She was born in Shanghai, and moved to Hong Kong 1949, at the age of twelve. She was formerly ...

's published diary ''Mourning For Breasts'' (哀悼乳房), which chronicled her own experiences.

Synopsis

Bingo Leung, an advertising executive, lives a carefree life with her friends until she bumps into a doctor, V, who becomes infatuated with her after she rejects him. His interference leads to her discovery of a malignant lump on her breast and a medical scam targeting her orchestrated by her long-lost boyfriend. Everything begins to fall apart as she tries to cope with the loss of femininity in a series of bittersweet events. With the help of V and a shy but talented teenage singer Sing, Bingo is able to cope with her cancer, revive her career and strengthen her bonds with her family. The epilogue shows Bingo years later at a shop buying a bra for her daughter.

Cast

as Bingo Leung *

Richie Ren Richie Jen Hsien-chi (, born 23 June 1966) is a Taiwanese singer and actor. He graduated from the Chinese Culture University's physical education department. His hits include "Too Softhearted" (), "Look Over Here, Girl" (), "The Sad Pacific" () ...

as Dr Vincent 'V' Cheung *

Justin Lo Justin Lo (, stage name ; born 1 July 1976) is a Hong Kong American singer-songwriter, actor and record producer working in Hong Kong. Biography Lo was born in Syracuse, New York, and moved to Hong Kong with his parents when he was two years ...

as Fung Sing-Ping *

Maggie Shiu Maggie Shiu (born February 27, 1965) is a prominent Hong Kong actress. Career Her career began in 1985 when she joined Hong Kong TVB. As her career developed, she took on variety of roles in TV series and movies. Hong Kong audiences still remember ...

as Dr. Kong *

Hui Shiu-Hung Benz Hui Shiu-hung (born 4 November 1948) is a Hong Kong film and TV actor. Hui is credited with over 165 films. Hui is a currently a TV actor with TVB. Early life and family Hui comes from an influential family in Canton. His great-grandfather ...

as Mr. Hui *

Lam Suet Lam Suet (; born 1964), or Lin Xue, is a Hong Kong film actor. Life and career Lam was born in Tianjin, and came to Hong Kong as a youth in 1979 to receive inheritance money left by his grandfather. Soon after, all the money had been squander ...

as Police Officer *

Lam Ka-Tung Gordon Lam Ka-tung (林家棟; born 21 September 1967) is a Hong Kong people, Hong Kong actor, film producer and screenwriter. Initially known for his supporting roles in films directed by Andrew Lau and Johnnie To, Lam eventually became a lea ...

as Hook *

Cheung Siu-Fai Cheung Siu-fai (; born 4 February 1963), also known as Eddie Cheung, is a Hong Kong actor. He is best known for his many supporting or everyman roles similar to Liu Kai-chi Dick Liu Kai-chi (, 30 September 1953 – 28 March 2021) was a Hon ...

* Guo Tao * Jo Kuk * Bonnie Wong * Courtney Wu 2 Become 1 at chinesemov.com
/ref>

Production

The film is based on

's diary ''Mourning For Breasts'', which was based on her experiences with breast cancer. After

Milkyway Image Milkyway Image (Hong Kong) Ltd. () is a production company based in Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The company was established in 1996 by prolific director Johnnie To in joint partnership with frequent collaborator Wai Ka-Fai. The company is ...

gained

film rights A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, a first draft of the script was written by

Ivy Ho Ivy Ho Sai-Hong (, born 15 August 1958) is a Hong Kong screenwriter and film director. Ho's work has received high critical acclaim in Hong Kong. Perry Lam of ''Muse'' magazine wrote, 'As a writer, Ho excels as a miniaturist. Whether they are ...

, who relied on the diary's structured writings. After producers felt that the diary did not have a complete story, they hired screenwriter Fung Chi-Keung to rewrite the story.

Marketing

''2 Become 1'' first gained controversy with the film's original theatrical poster, which showed a computer-altered photograph of a woman's upper torso. MTR, which runs Hong Kong's subway system, concluded that the poster was not suitable for the public and banned it from all subway stations, which were traditionally the most important locations for displaying movie posters in the city. The posters were replaced with a more traditional design, showing portraits of the leading actors. Miriam Yeung reacted strongly to the ban, and noted that there was no nudity in the film.Xinhua – English
/ref> Reaction to the teaser poster differed in Mainland China. The Chinese Film Bureau, which is in charge of movie censorship, praised the design for its social value. The film's Mainland Chinese distributor,

Polybona Films Beijing Polybona Film Distribution Co. Ltd. (), also known as Polybona Films or the Bona Film Group, is a Chinese production company and distributor of films from mainland China and Hong Kong. It is run as a subsidiary of the China Poly Group, an ...

used the breasts design in various promotional materials.

Reception

Awards and nominations

Hong Kong Film Awards The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, ac ...

*Nominated: Best New Director (

)

References

External links

* * {{MilkywayImage 2006 films Films directed by Law Wing-cheung 2006 romantic comedy-drama films 2000s Cantonese-language films Media Asia films Milkyway Image films Hong Kong romantic comedy-drama films 2006 comedy films 2006 drama films 2000s Hong Kong films