時光台灣2018：翻檔案

As someone who grew up in a family that wasn’t originally from Taiwan, I didn’t identify with ‘Taiwan’ at first. With the term ‘Taiwan Province’ now consigned to the dustbin of history, in this short film I aim to comb through my own past from the vantage point of one’s ‘province of origin’.

After being abandoned for nearly seven decades, the old tribal village is difficult to reach with almost no roads leading to it. The only guide on our journey in search of our roots is Wilang, who drags his octogenarian body up the mountain. As we follow Wilang’s footsteps, we travel a tunnel back in time...

Under constant regimes of discipline and incorporation, rituals, faiths, bodies, and the position of man and god all trend towards uprootedness, where we lose our links to the land and to others. Time is dissected into ever more infinitesimal parts. Those who could not keep up now appear within the gaze of a stopped frame. Regardless of man or god, all destruction and rebirth meet at this point in search of a safe corner.

In 1995 when Taiwan reached the pinnacle of economic prosperity and the flowers of art blossomed everywhere, we just had our wings fully grown and were ready to fly, yet he passed away at the young age of 26. His death left a scar in our lives and rang a bell of alarm. As we reflect upon his youthful smile and tribulations of love, we find that even after more than 20 years, the stroke of the bell still reverberates among us.

LIU and WEN share a collaborative relationship in film, and also a close friendship despite their age difference. In this visit by WEN, we enter LIU’s life and reflect on her five-decade career in acting. Regardless of glamour or monotony, a steadfast mindset always prevails.