【Saturday Cinema】"Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," where the key to change lies in your hands

The Boar King

Labor Day

 

Release Date: 2014-03-20

Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes

Director: Guo Zhen-di

Cast: Lu Yi-jing, Tsai Chen-nan, Wu Yi-ting, Su Da

 

"I thought I was lost, but I found my direction."

 

In the mountainous region, heavy rains took away Mei Que’s husband A-Rong, and the Boar Mountain Hot Springs were buried by a flash flood, leaving the inn struggling to survive. Mei Que, who had wanted to die with her husband, was helped by hunter Zheng Nan to clean up the hot springs. She learned this was something A-Rong had asked for before he went missing. Surprised, she let go of her despair...

 

A-Rong’s daughter A-Fen swore never to return home, but came back to the mountains for the funeral and unexpectedly met a Garmin satellite road surveyor. He gave her strength amid her grief, and love quietly bloomed. Just as the hopeless villagers prepared to sell their land and relocate, they received an invitation card to a banquet from the deceased A-Rong. Did A-Rong really die? What secrets was he hiding? Mei Que and A-Fen sought answers through the camera A-Rong left behind. Along the way, they unintentionally bid farewell to the past, and a direction emerged in their lives...

 

Directed by Guo Zhen-di, who won the Golden Horse Award for Best Documentary, the film was shot amidst the mountainous beauty of Baolai and Qishan in Kaohsiung, Hupao Pond, Ruyi Lake in New Taipei, and Outer Xixi in Taipei. With a typhoon disaster as the backdrop, the story weaves intergenerational family struggles and responses to tragic upheavals. The resilience of the characters embodies the unyielding spirit of wild boars. One story after another becomes an outlet for life, bidding farewell to the past while facing the future.

 

The film features a strong cast including Golden Bell and Asia-Pacific Film Festival winner Lu Yi-jing, seasoned actor Tsai Chen-nan, Chen Mu-yi, theater newcomers Wu Yi-ting and Su Da, along with special appearances by heavyweight figures Wu Nien-jen and Tai Pao. Their outstanding performances create beautiful sparks of chemistry. It is the warmest film of spring 2014.

Release Date: 2014-03-21

Runtime: 1 hour 51 minutes

Director: Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air")

Cast: Kate Winslet ("The Holiday"), Tobey Maguire ("Spider-Man"), Josh Brolin ("Gangster Squad")

 

The original novel "One Day, One Life" was written by renowned author Joyce Maynard. Published in the summer of 2009, it quickly rose to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. Its unconventional plot is suspenseful and deeply moving. People Magazine described "One Day, One Life" as "...solidifying Maynard’s status as a master storyteller...showcasing her as a passionate, empathetic, and attentive humanist." One of the producers, Helen Estabrook of Right of Way Films (a partner of Jason Reitman), like many others, read the book upon a friend’s recommendation. The characters and their experiences resonated with her, and she believed the book had all the elements of a great film. Estabrook said, "At the heart of the story is a coming-of-age tale intertwined with love and loss, all happening within the complex events of a six-day period. I think the complicated and captivating relationship between Adele, Frank, and Henry, along with the increasingly tense and dangerous plot, really grips you—it’s very cinematic." Upon Estabrook’s recommendation, Reitman also read the book and agreed it could be made into an excellent film. He said, "I’m always drawn to the inexplicable actions of the characters in a story. As a director, I love making films that make the audience wonder why things happen the way they do. The more unpredictable the characters’ actions, the more I want to turn it into a film. It rigorously tests your storytelling, writing, and directing skills—creating situations where the characters do things you’d never do yourself, but by the end, you completely understand."         So Reitman approached Joyce Maynard, who said, "I’m thrilled, and of course, I feel lucky to have my story in Jason Reitman’s hands. I’m familiar with his work, and I believe he’s the right director for this film." However, "One Day, One Life" was only Reitman’s fourth film, and Maynard felt that his relative inexperience was actually an advantage. She explained, "The story takes place in 1987, but it’s actually about a man looking back on a weekend from his childhood that changed his life forever..."