Wave Makers, currently available on Netflix, continues the trend of hit television series often drawing from Taiwan’s recent history in subject matter. Wave Makers, however, focuses on the grassroots-level political workers that work in contemporary campaigns. This is to be contrasted to Island Nation’s depiction of the Lee Teng-hui presidency, for example, but aligns the show closer alongside Days of the Sun II, which is set during the Sunflower Movement Read More
The short film, “Kuroshio Current,” aims to tell a story of diasporic loss framed by traditional Taiwanese folk religion Read More
Taking its title from Edward Yang’s 1986 masterpiece, 2021’s “Terrorizers” draws from contemporary inspirations and fails to make an equivalent impact Read More
Get the Hell Out is an absurdist zombie comedy that starts out well enough Read More
The Post-Truth World is an intriguing, if somewhat narratively flawed read on the nature of news, virality, and truth. The crime drama follows Liu Li-min, an online media personality, who inadvertently becomes caught up in the series of events around the apparent murder of rich heiress Wang Shih-yun by high school sports star Chang Chen-yi. Liu is first present at the baseball game where Chang apparently murders Chang by stabbing her to death. Then, seven years later, Liu is taken hostage by Chang during a jailbreak after visiting the prison where he is imprisoned to interview another inmate Read More
Actor Kai Ko's directorial debut, Bad Education, is a capable film with many merits. Though still entertainment fare at the end of the day, much is to be praised about the movie, which like many hit Taiwanese movies in past years has a script penned by novelist Giddens Ko Read More
With its all-woman cast, Taiwanese movie “As We Like It” critiques the exclusion of women in Shakespearean theatre and asks audiences to consider life beyond a gender binary Read More
Taiwanese horror-thriller film “The Funeral'' is more fittingly enjoyed as a family drama with scary elements Read More
Life for Sale is an ambitious work. While imperfect, the film is bold, and those willing to indulge some of its more visible flaws may find the journey rewarding Read More
Gaga, directed by Laha Mebow, is not a perfect work, but it manages to be a candid intergenerational family drama nonetheless Read More
Marry My Dead Body is an entertaining and capably executed, if a bit breezy, buddy cop comedy with LGBTQ themes. The outlandish premise–featuring a straight, initially homophobic police officer whose attitudes gradually change through interactions with a gay ghost that he becomes haunted by–certainly proves memorable Read More
My Missing Valentine surprised in 2020 when it swept the Golden Horse Awards, Taiwan’s top film awards. The movie took home not only Best Feature Film, but also Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. The film’s two leads, Liu Kuan Ting and Patty Lee, were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively, but did not win Read More