Three Summers has a solid arthouse pedigree behind it and its intentions seem to be fine and well rooted in telling a heartfelt story. This is backed by good performances from the stars, including Cherie Chan, who nabbed a Hong Kong Film Award nomination for her work here. But, ultimately, the film meanders too much for its own good, losing focus on the central characters, and thus interest from the audience as a result, becoming like the directionless boat Tony Leung Ka-Fai is often shown in during one of the many scenes in this movie that lingers for just a bit too long, teetering on the edge of pretentiousness.

As a whole, the film never really seems to click. Director Lawrence Lau (who co-wrote the screenplay along with Sylvia Chang) doesn't quite know what to do with the characters and their story arcs, resorting at times to using heavy-handed plot devices such as a Triad attack to convey tension that doesn't need to be there in the first place. The core elements do work to an extent, but when the payoff is so limp, one tends to question if the cinematic journey was worth undertaking in the first place.

RATING: 6