Life is like a play — the lonely star map reflects the darkness of the human soul.

Written/Compiled and Reported by the Editorial Team of MOOK Travel Life Network

The highly acclaimed Maps to the Stars at the Golden Horse Film Festival was released in Taiwan on December 19. In addition to sweeping major film festivals, Julianne Moore won the Best Actress award at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival for this film; the cast lineup is strong, led by John Cusack and Julianne Moore, with standout stars such as Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska also starring.

Stafford Weiss (played by John Cusack) is a bestselling author of self-help books and a sought-after therapist for the elite. Behind the seemingly glamorous Hollywood celebrity family lies a thoroughly broken household. Their son, Benjie, is a somewhat famous child star in Hollywood who developed a drug addiction at a young age and has just come out of rehab. Mrs. Weiss is solely focused on reviving Benjie’s acting career. Meanwhile, their estranged daughter, Agatha (played by Mia Wasikowska), who has just been discharged from a psychiatric hospital, secretly returns to California and tries every way possible to land a job as the assistant to faded actress Havana Segrand (played by Julianne Moore). With her return, the darkness hidden in the Weiss family’s past is relentlessly exposed, the glamorous masks of the stars are peeled away layer by layer, and everyone gradually descends into madness. All of this is witnessed by a part-time luxury car driver (played by Robert Pattinson), himself another aspiring but overlooked small-time actor in Hollywood...

Master filmmaker David Cronenberg (David Cronenberg) leads an all-star cast including Julianne Moore (Julianne Moore), Robert Pattinson (Robert Pattinson), Mia Wasikowska (Mia Wasikowska), and John Cusack (John Cusack) in the star-studded Maps to the Stars, revealing the chilling and dark side behind the glitz and glamour of the movie industry. Julianne Moore portrays a faded star unable to escape her past glory, delivering a nerve-wracking and intense performance that earned her the Best Actress award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film’s screenwriter drew inspiration from his early days as a chauffeur in Hollywood. Maps to the Stars was officially released in Taiwan on December 19.