When a storyteller — whether writer, director, actor, etc. — becomes known for something, they very often get pigeon-holed and face difficulty escaping that perception. People known for westerns do westerns, for action do action, for horror do horror, and so on. There are absolutely actors who excel and delight in sticking with one genre. Samara Weaving (Guns Akimbo; Bill & Ted Face the Music) and Kathryn Newton (Freaky; Blockers) come to mind here with their work in the horror space while simultaneously equally capable in other genres. This is why, for those who do want to expand, it’s significant that they keep branching out. Filmmaker Johnnie To, whose resume speaks to an action-centric storyteller with films like The Heroic Trio (1993), The Mission (1999), PTU (2003), and Election (2005), as well as Running Out of Time (1999), Running on Karma (2003), and Throw Down (2004), has played with mixing genres several times in his career including his 2012 Romancing in Thin Air, in which he incorporated the language of cinema so that the entire film feels like a recognizable falsehood that audiences still fall for. Now, via Radiance Films, audiences have the chance to experience Romancing in Thin Air on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Hong Kong and it’s accompanied by supplemental features new and archival to help you dive into this genre-mixing, reality-bending romantic tale.
Recently left at the altar, Michael Lau (Louis Koo) has been on a consistent bender, an issue for the actor-musician-idol made worse by demands of the public for answers. In trying to get away from press and fans, he hides in the back of a truck, unaware of and uncaring for its destination. Its driver, Sau (Sammi Cheng), heads home to Shangri-la where they run an inn owned by their husband, Yang Xiaotian (Li Guangjie), who’s been missing in the woods for more than seven years. Due to the high elevation, Michael soon contracts altitude poisoning soon after being discovered as having hitched a ride, requiring him to stay a while to recover and creating an opportunity for both lovelorn and love-lost individuals to find comfort in each other. But can either one find true happiness with the questions of unfinished business lingering in their past?
The following home review is based on a retail Blu-ray copy provided by Radiance Films via MVD Entertainment Group.
The opening of Romancing in Thin Air occurs through a montage of news footage reporting on the career of Michael Lau, his relationship with co-star Ding Yuanyuan (Gao Yuanyuan), his proposal and eventual jilting, before showing him completely drunk and lost. In a very short time, screenwriters Wai Ka-Fai (Running on Karma), Yau Nai-Hoi (Throw Down), Jevons Au Man-Kit (Don’t Go Breaking My Heart), and Ryker Chan (Drug War) not only establish Michael and introduce Sau (who is watching from the inn alongside her two co-workers), they create a framework for the entire film that is maintained throughout. By opting to start the film on a television screen, the nodes visible in close-up, To tells the audience that the film we’re about to see is entirely fictious and, therefore, not bound by the rules of reality. We, as ticketholders, know that we’re agreeing to be taken on a journey, but, here, in this moment, with this choice, To tells the audience exactly what kind it’s going to be. When we observe Michael proposing to Yuanyuan via grand romantic gesture, we swoon, and, when we see her leave him at the alter due to the sudden appearance of a past love professing his undying affection and reminding her of their shared pledge of unity, we rise up in anger for Michael’s pain. What could be superficial melodrama is brought down to reality by the cast who play everything straight, whether it’s Li as quiet Xiaotian working on repairing the inn’s roof and falling off when he sees Sau return to work as staff during the summer season, only to scramble back up without saying a word or the manner in which Michael chooses to try to express his affection for Sau through cinema, the grandest of grand gestures. Both of the moments — the first comedic, the second dramatically romantic — should come off as ridiculous melodrama, yet, because the actors commit to the truth in which they exist, it all feels sincere to the viewing audience, thereby charming us even as the proverbial hits keep coming to them.
The framing device does more than apply to the performances, it works for the cinematography as well. From the opening sequence of us watching through the tv all that befalls Michael to flashbacks and everything in between, Cheng Siu-Keung’s (Throw Down; Election; Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In) cinematography implies a world just left of realism. Meaning that everything looks natural and grounded, but not quite real. It’s not quite on par with the hallmarks of the dramatic and fantastical wuxia genre’s heightened sense of things, but it’s not quite *of* reality either. One considers how Yoshio Kitagawa (Happy Hour) shot Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s 2023 Evil Does Not Exist, a geo-thriller that incorporates documentary filmmaking techniques to infuse the tale with a terrible sense of authenticity. Evil Does Not Exist requires the audience to see this narrative world as a possible one for the terror to come quietly and terribly. To, however, isn’t telling a melancholic story, so such realistic cinematography would destroy the tone and intention of the film. By shooting the whole in such a way that things are a little more silly, a little more light, and a little shy of truth, an opportunity arises for the audience to believe that the magic of storytelling can transcend the screen and flow into our lives. Even as elements of the film veer into aspects that would be profoundly depressing (Michael’s alcoholism, Sau’s sorrow, Xiaotian’s resilience despite his situation), because of the staging and look of the film, the audience is able to acknowledge the ways in which life is a mixture of the terrible and the beautiful, making the mixture of genre tones more palatable and easier to accept.
As mentioned, this is a first-time release outside of Hong Kong, so let’s get into what that entails.
As a Radiance release, it comes packaged in the standard clear plastic case with removeable OBI strip and new art from frequent collaborator, artist Time Tomorrow. If you’d prefer the original theatrical release art, you can reverse the liner to view that instead. The first run of Romancing is limited to 3,000 copies with a booklet containing release information (cast and crew), transfer information, and acknowledgements, as well as a portion from a 2011 David Bordwell essay titled “The Rise of Johnnie To and Milkyway” and a brand-new essay from Jake Cole titled “Altitude Sickness: Johnnie To’s Romancing in Thin Air.” Intermixed with stills from the film and posters from other To titles, the former dives into To’s career, joining the ranks of essayists Sean Gilman; David West; Gilman, again; and West, again; via restorations, remasters, and re-releases from Eureka Entertainment, The Criterion Collection, and Arrow Video. The latter, also intermixed with film stills and To-related posters, does a deeper dive into the film itself, extolling Koo and Cheng’s performance in a film that could be seen as a standard rom-com or broad farce but grows into something special due to the actors, direction, and presentation.
On-disc, the special features include a brand-new commentary track with Hong Kong cinema expert Dylan Cheung, a brand-new interview with co-screenwriter Chan, a brand-new visual essay from Gilman titled “Another side of Johnnie To,” a 2012 compilation of edited behind-the-scenes footage made for and included with the 2012 Hong Kong Blu-ray release, and a 2012 making-of featurette also originally made for and included with the 2012 Hong Kong Blu-ray release. In terms of the new materials, the interview with Chan is formal in nature with the screenwriter answering questions of an unseen interviewer as footage from the film plays. He discusses his background as a writer, his first meeting with To, coming to work at Milkyway Image (To’s production company), and the ways in which the script changed between shifting stars (Koo replaced frequent To collaborator Andy Lau) and locations (from Mount Fuji to Shangri-la). Of the many things he shares in this 15-minute interview, his discussion of the relationship between Michael and Sau and the romance is particularly enlightening, specifically in his acknowledgement that Romancing in Thin Air is, “… like both a literary and heavy discussion of longing than a love story.” Having this in mind while watching the film certainly helps reframe what it means to tell a romantic story and the expectations that come with such a genre choice. In the far longer 28-minute visual essay, Gilman explores Romancing within the context of To’s career, the expectations assigned to To based on his more popular works, and how frequently To sought to break conventions by mixing genres in ways that force the audience to more actively engage with the work instead of being driven by anticipation. If one is less familiar with To’s wider catalogue of works, Gilman’s various reference points create a roadmap to start exploring.
In terms of the on-disc presentation, the booklet states that Radiance was provided the high-definition file to create this release from Media Asia Films. There’s no specific mention of materials used to create the file. The booklet also states that the film is presented in its original aspect ratio with audio options of 5.0 and 2.0 (which is confirmed via the menu screen). The presentation itself is beautiful and enveloping. The cinematography is well-represented with the frequently cooler colors (blues; whites) highlighted given the mostly snowy sequences for the main, present-day portion of the film. Likewise, the audio elements (tested with the 5.0 track) are clean and clear with no noticeable issues. Admittedly, like most rom-coms, there’s no real reason to expect the sound to blow one away as the set pieces are more character-driven with dialogue than action-based, however, there’s no noticeable reason why one would be disappointed with the audio selection.
This is my sixth To film to review in the last six years and each one is dramatically different, even when genres overlap. Whether it’s the specific mixture of tones or the performances from the cast, each one has its own reasons to warrant the watch and exploration. Thankfully, here, with the addition of the supplemental materials, Radiance not only provides an excellent way for audiences to investigate this title, but a groundwork of where to look next. In particular, it’s great to discover that any expectations one might have of a director are worth setting aside to allow for the possibility of surprise, which Romancing in Thin Air provides throughout.
Romancing in Thin Air Special Features:
- High-definition digital transfer
- 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 stereo audio options
- *NEW* recorded interview with screenwriter Ryker Chan (2025, 15 mins)
- *NEW* audio commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Dylan Cheung
- *NEW* Another side of Johnnie To – visual essay on Johnnie To’s romantic melodramas by Sean Gilman (2025, 28 mins)
- Extended behind-the-scenes footage (2012, 25 mins)
- Making-of featurette (2012, 9 mins)
- Theatrical trailer
- *NEW* translated English subtitles by Dylan Cheung
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Jake Cole and archival writing by David Bordwell
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
Available on Blu-Ray April 21st, 2026.
For more information, head to the official Radiance Films Romancing in Thin Air webpage.
To purchase, head to the official MVD Entertainment Group Romancing in Thin Air webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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