In the opening sequence, a young man smokes a cigarette in front of a plane moving slowly to depart. Drop by drop, the rain keeps falling, thicker and thicker. From his bed, the young man wakes up in his small room in Taipei, a city where it always rains. In a broken mirror he looks at his face: he’s not young anymore, but not old enough; in a few months, he will turn thirty. To make a living, he has to accept small jobs here and there. Most of his days however are spent wandering around the district of Wanhua, a black hole in the city attracting all sort of people without a goal. On the street, banners are ready for the upcoming presidential election. It’s an important moment when the country will have to choose its relationship with China. In the middle of a huge crowd, the young man recognizes a girl. She is an old girlfriend with whom he broke up ten years ago. This brief encounter triggers a subtle vibration within himself: before he turns thirty, he wants to make a movie about his own hopes. But is he able to change?
Chun-Hong Wang