The latest work by Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore and legendary composer, *The Best Offer*, hits theaters across Taiwan today (the 22nd).In addition to winning numerous awards in Europe, it became the first film at the Golden Horse Film Festival to sell out tickets instantly. Dutch actress Sylvia Hoeks, who shares a mysterious romance with Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush in the film, not only delivers stunning performances but also leaves a lasting impression with her bold nude bedroom scenes. She said, “This is a layered movie. The girl’s presence stirs the long-buried heart of the auctioneer. He’s not infatuated with her body, but he’s deeply drawn in by a voyeuristic encounter!”
CatchPlay starring Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush and Dutch actress Sylvia Hoeks. (Image provided by CatchPlay)
Previously awarded “Best Supporting Actress” at the Dutch Film Festival, Sylvia Hoeks plays a reclusive mysterious girl in *The Best Offer*, who gradually falls in love with a renowned auctioneer, though a thrilling story lurks beneath the surface. She said, “It’s hard to say whether the auctioneer is chasing the girl or the girl is seducing the auctioneer. I accepted the scene requiring nudity right away because I felt it was a great honor to be part of such an artistically profound film.” Lead actor Geoffrey Rush said, “I can’t spoil anything, but Tornatore’s films are like Hitchcock’s—there’s always an unexpected twist.” The director commented, “It’s a love story, but with the structure of a thriller, yet there are no murders, cops, or detectives in sight.”
Stunning stills from *The Best Offer*. (Image provided by CatchPlay)
Virgil (played by Geoffrey Rush) is a world-renowned auctioneer known for his reclusive and mysterious lifestyle. He has long collaborated with Billy (Donald Sutherland) in illicit bidding practices to acquire his beloved paintings of noblewomen and has formed a rare bond with young technician Robert (Jim Sturgess). While handling the auction of artworks from a grand estate, Virgil becomes sympathetic and curious about a strange and eccentric female homeowner, Claire (Sylvia Hoeks), eventually falling in love with her. He sacrifices his most prized possession—privacy—for this hard-won relationship. But is this love, acquired at the “highest price” of his life, as flawless as his collection?
The Best Offer
The Best Offer
Release Date: 2013-11-22
Duration: 2 hours
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Sylvia Hoeks, Donald Sutherland
Love Master
Jinx!!!
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The Way, Way Back / Like Father, Like Son (Note: Assuming "Bamabuzaijia" refers to the 2013 Taiwanese film *When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep* or similar; if intended as *Like Father, Like Son*, adjust accordingly.)Based on context, likely *The Way, Way Back* or local title. For accuracy, please confirm original intent. Here translated literally as per title given, but note ambiguity.)
ILO ILO
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Release Date: 2013-11-22
Duration: 2 hours 03 minutes
Director: Norihiro Koizumi (*Koizumi Norihiro*, director of *A Girl and Her Suitcase*)
Cast: Hyomin, Kuriyama Kanon (from *Kiseki no Kaidan* / *The Kirishima Thing*), Kento Yamazaki (from *Kamisama no Kage otoshimono* / *Kamen Teacher* or *Kiss that Kills*)
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Release Date: 2013-11-29
Duration: Not provided
Director: Anthony Chen
Cast: Yeo Yann Yann, Koh Jia Ler, Angeli Bayani, Chen Tian Wen
Koh Jia Ler (played by Koh Jia Ler) is a smart but mischievous kid considered a headache at school. His pregnant mother (Yeo Yann Yann) is constantly overwhelmed between work and household duties, and she becomes exasperated by frequent complaint calls from Jia Ler’s school, eventually hiring Filipino maid Terry (Angeli Bayani) to help with chores and childcare.
Initially hostile toward Terry, Jia Ler bullies her at every opportunity. But Terry, desperate to support her family, struggles to survive in this household. With both parents preoccupied with their own troubles and neglecting him, Jia Ler and Terry gradually grow from friction and distance to deep affection. Terry’s attentive care stands in stark contrast to his parents’ neglect. Though just a child, Jia Ler becomes emotionally dependent on Terry—unaware that a worsening family storm is quietly brewing over their home...
It was 1997, when the Asian financial crisis swept through...
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Bright Voices
THE SAPPHIRES
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The Lady of the Castle: Eternal
The Castle of Crossed Destinies
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Release Date: 2013-11-22
Duration: 1 hour 43 minutes
Director: Wayne Blair
Cast: Chris O'Dowd, Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens, Miranda Tapsell
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Release Date: 2013-11-22
Runtime: Not provided
Director: Kunihiro Mori (*The Great Edo: The Female Shogun and Her Three Thousand Male Attendants*)
Cast: Masato Sakai (*Hanzawa Naoki*), Miho Kanno (*At Least Once in a Lifetime, Be a Fool*), Jun Kunimura (*Detective in the Dinner After*), Toshiyuki Nishida (*Embrace the Gold and Fly*)
*The Great Edo: Eternity* is adapted from the famous manga by Yoshinaga Fumi, directed by Kunihiro Mori, who also helmed *The Great Edo: The Female Shogun and Her Three Thousand Male Attendants* and *Kisarazu Cat's Eye*. The fifth Tokugawa shogun, Lady Tsunayoshi (Miho Kanno), who had three thousand male attendants at her disposal, was required to select a new consort every day to continue the bloodline, and the men would do anything for even a single night of favor.
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Crisis Unraveled
The Fifth Estate
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The Last Camille
Camille Claudel 1915
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Release Date: 2013-11-29
Runtime: Not provided
Director: Bill Condon
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, Stanley Tucci, Laura Linney
The founder of the infamous website WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, who specialized in exposing top-secret documents, revolutionized the global media landscape.
Based on the novel of the same name, this film tells the story of how Assange and his colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg joined forces to create the world’s most powerful underground whistleblowing organization, making them the number one enemy of governments worldwide. With minimal resources, they built a platform that brought the world’s secrets into the light. Like wildfire, WikiLeaks quickly became the most authoritative source of exclusive news.
As these two towering figures in the online world became the most troublesome adversaries for the U.S. government, cracks began to form between them—raising fundamental questions: What is the true cost of secrecy? And what is the price of revelation?
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Release Date: 2013-11-29
Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes
Director: Bruno Dumont
Cast: Juliette Binoche (*Addicted to Love*)
She was the student and lover of the genius artist Rodin,
but was confined to a mental asylum for 30 years...
A film as shocking in direction as in performance. The story begins after the events of *Camille Claudel*, where Camille—once Rodin’s muse, now his enemy—is wrongly admitted to a psychiatric hospital, waiting in vain for her brother Paul to visit and rescue her. A brilliant artist with no mental illness is locked away in an asylum for thirty years—an unimaginable cruelty. Camille must avoid genuine psychiatric patients, and, suspecting her former lover Rodin of poisoning her food, insists on cooking all her meals herself. But the greatest agony is being unable to create art through sculpture ever again.
Directed by Bruno Dumont, internationally acclaimed for *Humanité* which won the Cannes Jury Prize and Best Actor and Actress awards, this film is tailor-made for Oscar-winning actress Juliette Binoche to portray the legendary Camille. To embody the tormented spirit of Camille, the actress went without makeup and wore aging prosthetics. The director also cast real psychiatric patients to act opposite Binoche. This film stands as the pinnacle of Binoche’s acting career. |
