▲”The Great Buddha+” poster
▲ “The Bold, The Corrupt And The Beautiful” poster
This year’s Golden Horse Awards was a sweeping success for Taiwanese films. The awards won between the two films “The Great Buddha+”and “The Bold, The Corrupt And The Beautiful” include Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Original Film Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, and the Audience Choice Award.
One could call the two films shining lights in the dark, as they both carry a sense of darkness in the stories. “The Great Buddha+” is a dark comedy while “The Bold, The Corrupt And The Beautiful” portrays dark psychological social relationship.
In addition to the unique themes, the stories are closely connected to our society. “The Great Buddha+” is a look into the the lives of ordinary citizens at the bottom of society; it is a story of those who live on expired convenience store food, and the ugly side of politics and humanity. “The Bold, The Corrupt And The Beautiful” is the tragic medley of politics, money, and a mother-daughter relationship. The actors were not chosen for beauty either. It’s a team of superb actors that will keep you at the edge of your seat: Bamboo Chen speaking authentic Taiwanese to levitate the most depressing moments of tragedy, Kara Hui with her expressive performance, Ke-Xi Wu and Vicky Chen with their unbelievable acting.
Tired of Hollywood superhero clichés? Why not adjust your eyes to the two shining lights in the dark, and focus on Taiwan’s society? Does your life differ from the stories?
(Poster source: Apple Daily and https://movies.yahoo.com.tw/movieinfo_main.html/id=7036)