When I was thirteen years old, I decided to dip my toes into classic literature. I started with Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen because it's supposedly beginner-friendly.

I ordered a cheap copy online; when the parcel arrived, I was thrumming with excitement as I tore it open. But even with a hefty dictionary beside me, trying to read the first line had me intimidated and lost.

There I was, watching the downpour through my window, stuck in quarantine in the height of the pandemic. I was daydreaming of a summer romance in Cousins Beach, entertaining the idea of camaraderie and burgers at Luke’s Diner, wishing to be as cool as characters in K-Dramas.

Four Asian Film Recommendations for Poetry Lovers

In the Mood for Love (2000)

I’m neither a film connoisseur nor a brilliant poet, but there’s something beautiful about the merging of poetry and film. Both are intended to conjure emotion in their audience; in that way, when a film features a certain poem, the words and the visuals can impart a message together.