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Following a Paiwan chief home
Elaine Wei’s documentary was supposed to hit theaters last month when the outbreak struck just the latest challenge in a rocky seven years of filming Kuljelje Azangiljan’s life story
By Han Cheung / Staff reporter
Elaine Wei (魏郁蓁) didn’t stop filming when villagers called the police on her or threatened her over the phone. Nor did she shut the project down after her production company ran out of funds to travel to the filming location in Pingtung.
These challenges, and many others, seemed to end after she managed to get The Way Home: The Call of the Azangiljan (阿查依蘭的呼喚, a documentary that depicts the struggles of a Paiwan chief and single mother, into theaters through a crowdfunding campaign and government assistance.
Movie review: Whale Island
This tender and majestic ode to the sea follows two men deeply drawn to the deep blue, connecting their unrelated stories through their struggles to balance their passions with family life
By Han Cheung / Staff reporter
Even though Taiwan is surrounded by the ocean, its people have turned their backs on the sea for too long, writer and marine advocate Liao Hung-chi (廖鴻基) says in the documentary Whale Island (男人與他的海). Liao laments that due to a multitude of social and political factors, most Taiwanese don’t understand the ocean, which is often walled off by concrete tetrapods or coastal industrial zones. Through his life’s work, he hopes that Taiwanese can face the waves head on both literally and figuratively.
Movie review: ‘Plurality’
Tony Yang capably portrays five characters stuck within one body in this action-packed, sci-fi crime-thriller, which has intriguing ideas but a script that feels too forced
By Han Cheung / Staff reporter
Touted as the Taiwanese version of M Night Shylaman’s 2016 Split, Plurality also deals with kidnappings and multiple personalities who vie for control of one body.
Tony Yang (楊祐寧) does a great job at portraying the distinct personas within him despite their mannerisms being a bit exaggerated to distinguish them and convincingly and single-handedly carries this action-packed, twist-filed thriller despite the flawed script filled with puzzling developments and improbable scenes.
Year in review: Taiwanese cinema
By Han Cheung / Staff reporter
It’s been heartening to see Taiwan’s cinema continue to grow and break out of the tired tropes that kept the scene from reaching its potential for years. This year’s offerings continued last year’s effort of exploring the lives of those who are disadvantaged or different, and while this resulted in some suffocating, drawn-out affairs, the emotional impact lingers. This reviewer did not get to see every acclaimed film missing out on Golden Horse favorite My Missing Valentine (消失的情人節), for example, but here is my personal top five (in no specific order):