“And if a double-decker bus
Crashes into us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die
And if a ten-ton truck
Kills the both of us
To die by your side
Well, the pleasure - the privilege is mine”
- The Smiths
"This is a story of a boy meets girl. but you should know upfront, this is not a love story."
Remember that opening line from a little movie called 500 Days of Summer? I know alot of people may not know about it since it's not your typical romantic film with the usual happy ending that Hollywood likes to shove down our throats. But this one was incredibly unique. Its was funny, quirky and hip, while at the same time, heart-wrenching. To watch Tom hopelessly fall for Summer, and try his damnest to make her believe in love was commendable. In the end, it didn't really matter. Summer was too disconnected with the idea of love and relationships to even notice. And if their penchant for The Smiths was not enough, then what is? Some people are just not meant for each other. But the movie was still achingly beautiful in how the film was able to reel you in and make you feel all the sensations of falling in love too fast. And hard.
But my wife and I LOVED this movie. Especially the soundtrack. In fact, when we first toyed with the idea of doing photography, we had set The Temper Trap's "Sweet Disposition" as the music to accompany the video montage we did for my wife's cousin's wedding. I remember some of the sequences on that video montage even had the split screens like the one in the movie. Thinking back now, I wish we had just stuck with a photo montage. But ideas have to come from someplace right?
Fast forward years later. It now feels like our love for this film has come full circle. We met a lovely couple, Grace and Mac, who were also big fans of the movie. And they also wanted to shoot at those memorable Los Angeles landmarks that was seen throughout the film. Of course I was excited because I have never really got the chance to explore Los Angeles. But out of all the landmarks I think, the most important for us was Angel's Knoll. That paticular bench that overlooks Hill St. is just iconic in the movie. And since LA County decided to close it off from the public, the challenge to shoot there made it more memorable for the three of us. Climbing over the fence and making sure we don't step on any used needles was fun. In fact, looking back to our shoot and during the process of me getting to know them, they kind of remind me of Tom and Summer. Not their love story per se, but just their undeniable chemistry when they are together. And just like the characters in the movie, you just feel like you have known them for a long time and you want to root for them.
Tom and Summer. Grace and Mac. Two diferent love stories of how a boy met a girl. But this time, Mac ended up with his Summer. And theirs is a love story that can be shared with a happy ending.
