Writer: Goh Wen Xuan

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Watch this if you liked: “2 Become 1”

Supported by the Singapore National Health Board, "Love Cuts" aims to be an eye-opener for those who are still ignorant about breast cancer, with Singapore's veteran actress Zoe Tay taking the lead role as breast cancer patient. Even so, the movie was all too cliche in terms of storyline and character developments.

Sissy (Zoe Tay) is a skilled seamstress, juggling between her career and family. Just like any other career woman, Sissy tries hard to take care of her kids, husband Wai Mun (Kenny Ho), as well as her mother, who constantly lectures about Sissy's life. It all crumbles when Sissy is diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. While trying to deal with her illness, she meets a young model Kristie (Christy Yow) who is also diagnosed with early stages of breast cancer, but due to the nature of her work, she opts to not go through surgery. Both women struggle to find a way to deal with their illnesses together.

"Love Cuts" send a strong message about loving your life and not judge breast cancer patients in terms of vanity. Though educational at its point, the storyline gets easily predictable, save for its acting. The movie also lacks of in-depth information about the illness; there were only tear-jerking moments where Sissy undergoes the effects of chemotherapy. Some subtle representations of Sissy's train of thoughts were quite well done. In one scene, colourful clothing that hung on a balcony all turned into black and white clothes, representing Sissy's feelings during her walk back home after getting her test results.

Zoe Tay ("The Tree") was exceptional as a devoted mother and wife, while Kenny Ho ("Storm Warriors II") was bland during the first hour. Luckily he managed to salvage his screen time, transforming as the best husband and father in order to ease his wife's burden and pain. The worst performance had to be Christy Yow; not only her voice was dubbed, Kristie looked like a lifeless model, showing forced tears during her encounter with Sissy about her breast cancer diagnosis. Expect a cameo appearance (and topless scenes!) from popular host Allan Wu as Kristie Kong's loaded boyfriend.

Overall, "Love Cuts" is a mediocre attempt at creating awareness for breast cancer. Though Zoe Tay is the reason the movie manages to move tears, it's still a long way from being a movie that makes people sit up and take notice of an issue.

Cinema Online, 25 October 2010