Secret (2007) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The story unfolds at Tamkang Secondary School, a prestigious Taiwanese campus with an aging piano building that is scheduled for demolition. The old piano room serves as the central location where the mystery unfolds and where time-travel events occur.

• tamsui
• taiwan school
• piano building
• tamkang secondary school

The primary timeline is set in 1999, depicting Xianglun's final year at Tamkang. A crucial backstory reveals events from 1979, showing how Xiaoyu traveled twenty years into Xianglun's time through the mysterious score 'Secret'.

• 1999
• 1979
• timeline
• time travel
• 20 years

Lu Xiaoyu is a fellow piano student at Tamkang who discovers the mysterious score 'Secret', allowing her to travel back twenty years. Her time-traveling presence drives the central mystery of the film, and she becomes the object of Xianglun's affection despite her intermittent and mysterious appearances.

• lu xiaoyu
• gwei lun-mei
• time traveler
• piano student

Ye Xiang Lun is a gifted piano prodigy who transfers to Tamkang's music program. After hearing Xiaoyu play the enigmatic melody 'Secret', he becomes deeply drawn to her and ultimately dedicates himself to uncovering the truth behind her mysterious existence and the time-traveling score.

• ye xiang lun
• jay chou
• piano prodigy
• musician

Qing Yi is Xianglun's classmate at Tamkang who develops romantic feelings for him. Her jealousy and competition for Xianglun's affection create a love triangle that heightens emotional tension, especially as Xianglun becomes increasingly focused on Xiaoyu and the mystery surrounding her.

• qing yi
• alice tzeng
• love triangle
• classmate
• jealousy

Time travel in the film is enabled by the mysterious musical score called 'Secret'. When played at a specific tempo, it allows Xiaoyu to travel between 1979 and 1999. A key rule is that she is only visible to the first person she sees upon appearing in a time period, which shapes how she interacts with Xianglun.

• time travel
• secret score
• piano music
• temporal rules

Music serves as both the narrative device and emotional core of the film. The mysterious score 'Secret' enables time travel, while the old piano and practice rooms function as conduits for revelation. Performances mark turning points, and music acts as the language that binds characters across the two different time periods.

• secret score
• piano
• music
• melody
• performance

Secret tells a bittersweet romance that spans two decades, defying the normal boundaries of time. The story explores how love endures through memory, distance, and temporal separation. The central relationship is tested by jealousy, miscommunication, and the impossible circumstances of time travel, ultimately creating a love that exists across generations.

• love
• romance
• destiny
• relationship
• sacrifice

The aging piano building at Tamkang holds the old piano where Xiaoyu first discovered the 'Secret' score. Its scheduled demolition on graduation day creates a symbolic deadline for uncovering the truth about the time-travel mystery. The building represents both the past and the urgency for Xianglun to piece together the truth before it disappears forever.

• piano room
• building demolition
• piano building
• school
• past

Yu's Mother provides crucial information about Xiaoyu's disappearance and helps reveal the truth through a photograph and her daughter's story. She represents a protective, pragmatic presence in Xiaoyu's life, bridging the gap between the mystery and the resolution of the film's central puzzle.

• yu's mother
• so ming-ming
• mother
• revelation
• truth

Lun's Father is a teacher at Tamkang School who is initially skeptical of Xiaoyu's time-travel story. He guards an important manuscript and eventually shares Xiaoyu's history with the classroom, playing a pivotal role in helping uncover the truth about the time-travel mystery and connecting the past to the present.

• father
• teacher
• anthony wong
• manuscript
• revelation