SCREENINGS:
November 17 – CCSP – Sala Paulo Emílio – 3 pm
November 20 – Cinesesc – 3 pm
ORIGINAL TITLE: 日常對話 / Ri Chang Dui Hua
COUNTRY: Taiwan
YEAR: 2016
RUNNING TIME: 88′
DIRECTOR: Hui-chen Huang
SCREENPLAY: Hui-chen Huang / CINEMATOGRAPHY: Che Lin / EDITING: Jessica WanYu Lin / SOUND: Kiwi Inc. / PRODUCTION: Diana Chiawen Lee / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Hou Hsiao-hsien / PRODUCTION COMPANY: Small Talk Productions
SYNOPSIS: Anu is a tomboy. Married off at a young age – as was customary in Taiwan in the 1970s – and had two children, Anu soon divorced her violent husband and raised her daughters alone. Since then her only romantic relationships have been with women whom, like her, earn a living as professional mourners at funerals.
It’s considered taboo in Taiwanese culture to question a mother’s love, but that’s exactly the topic of her daughter, Hui-chen Huang’s intimate portrait. Mother and daughter set off on a journey together into the past, during which Hui-chen confronts Anu with questions that have tormented Hui-chen for many years.
In a series of long shots the two women discuss loneliness, trust, and abuse, yet most of these discussions end in painful silence. Shifting focus in order to plumb the depths of their relationship, Hui-chen attempts to understand her mother by also talking to her mother’s siblings and ex-lovers. In doing so she paints a picture of the changing lives and conditions for three generations of women in Taiwan.
Teddy Award for Documentary at Berlin IFF 2017, Documentary Award at Taipei FF 2017, Special Jury Prize at Nashville FF 2017. Taiwan representative to the 2018 Oscars.
ADVISORY RATING: 12 years
DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY
2016 The Priestess Walks Alone
