Missing Johnny (Huang Xi)

Qi moves from Hong Kong to Taipei alone, with only her pet parrot for company. There, she continually receives phone calls asking for a mysterious man called Johnny. She gradually bonds with her landlady’s autistic son and a local builder working for the landlady and living in his car as he rebuilds his life, the three brought together in a search when the parrot escapes. 

“Missing” in the film’s title evokes both actual loss, and the pathos of thinking of someone or something. As the audience are piecing together the story, the characters are also trying to make themselves whole. Featuring scenes of movement throughout Taipei city, and an ambient electronic soundtrack from acclaimed composer, LIM Giong, the film recalls Millennium Mambo (2001) for a new generation, giving the audience a sense of both vibrancy and loss permeating the city. And moments of beauty too, when souls collide and connect serendipitously.