Phew - just thought I should get that off my chest. You see, I LOVE this movie. And to be honest, it's kind of hard to tell if it's because A) it's a good movie or B) because it's set in Taipei, Taiwan, which holds a very special place in my heart.
I lived in Taipei for most of 2009, studying Chinese on a scholarship at the National Taiwan Normal University (I never really understood why it had "normal" in the title). Anyway, I look back on it as a really magical time, because of the wonderful friends I made as well as the food, the constant chaos, the language, the people, and the places. However, most specially of all, it was where Luke and I met, fell in love and got engaged. (1, 2, 3... nwahhhh).
So when I was flicking through the 2010 Melbourne Film Festival program and saw a movie called Au Revoir Taipei, I knew I just had to see it. I went with a Taiwanese friend of mine, Rebekkah Huang. The session was sold out, though the theatre sat about 300 people.
I had such a great time watching the movie, which brought back so many memories. For me this movie is Taipei, with the scooters, the emphasis on food, the night markets, Seven-Elevens, 24-hour book shops, old people dancing in the park: it is Taipei.
Plus, there was one moment when I practically wanted to scream: "Oh my goodness, I've totally waited in that dumpling stand line!" You see, part of the movie was filmed at Shi Da night market, about 100 metres from where I lived. Another part is set in Da An Park, where Luke proposed to me (1, 2, 3... nwahhh).
Anyway, perhaps you'll just have to see it for yourself and decide if it's actually good or if I'm totally biased. What I can say is that the humour is very Taiwanese. The film is cute, unpredictable and greatly entertaining.
Oh, and the basic storyline is as follows:
Kai's girlfriend leaves for France without him. Kai is sad. Kai goes to a 24-hour bookshop to study French (FYI Taiwanese people think bookshops and libraries are the same thing). Kai meets Susie. Kai wants to go to France so much he gets money from a loan shark. Craziness ensues, mostly involving real estate agents in orange suits.
PS: I do admit this movie is actually impossible to find. Luke and I had to order it from eBay just to get a copy. And when it arrived last week, I squealed and demanded we watch it right away.
PPS: I totally love how this movie mentions swing dancing. It's like it was made just for me! :)
Time for Photos!
And as per the recent tradition, please enjoy the trailer below. It's so cute I totally want to watch it all over again. Anyone want to join me?
Until next time :)
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