The real heartbreak comes when writer and director Ya-Che Yang envisions them as compromised adults still clinging to their adolescent fears and desires.

The shift from social portrait to domestic soap opera practically negates the democratic message of the first section, but Yang's stylish filmmaking is impressive throughout.

While attempting to chart the evolving parameters of a romantic triangle over two decades of Taiwan's tumultuous societal upheavals, Yang fails to adequately explore either the personal or the political aspects of his drama.

[Girlfriend, Boyfriend] ended up being more like a "romantic movie that just happens to include politics" than a "political movie that just happens to include romance."