Hou Chi-jan: Director’s Q&A
Closing the first series this special Q&A session will give attendees the opportunity to ask questions and discuss with the director
30 October, 2020 2:00 pm
Singing suffers the recurring dream of a man shouting at her, who she believes to be her father who had disappeared at sea. While working on a ferry, she also dreams of an encounter with a mysterious young soldier who tells her they will meet one day. After moving to Taipei, Singing indeed meets this young man and they fall in love. During the young man’s military service in Kinmen, he dreams of Singing. Carrying an old compass, the same as the one Singing’s father gave her, he tries to give her a warning, but can dreams avert tragedy?
As the characters’ memories are continuously reshaped by fictional narrative and reiteration, the script becomes a poetic memoir of youth, integrated with the director’s own experiences. The film retains the realist style of Taiwanese New Wave, but also gets creative with its narrative technique introducing contrasting magical elements in fine balance. The story not only jumps across time but also alternates between dream and reality in which drifting, aimless adolescence and its yearnings are captured.
Awards and festivals
2010 Golden Horse Award – Nominated of Best New Director, Best Original Screenplay
2010 Hong Kong International Film Festival
2010 Berlin International Film Festival – Forum
