Having launched Wake Up previously, Taiwan Public Television Service (PTS TW) strikes out again in 2019, bringing the series The World Between Us. Centered on an indiscriminate killing incident, it delineates the psychological state of the perpetrator and the victim’s family. Following Cheng Chieh (鄭捷) incident and Little Light Bulb (小燈泡) incident, the deeply thought-provoking series reflect the society ever more realistically.
When incidents like these occurred in society and when the perpetrator’s parents say something like “My son used to be a very good boy!” I used to get filled with anger. I’d even get so angry that I’d curse in my mind: “What a horrible parent! No wonder you brought up such a monster!” I think that you may have had the same thought.
However, life is not one-dimensional; as a matter of fact, life has many facets. No one is absolutely good, nor is anyone pure evil. The World Between Us uses its storylines as well as multidimensional and realistic characters to guide the audience to think more comprehensively. Say, if you were the victim, how would you carry yourself between sadness and hatred? How would you maintain your bond with your family who are still alive? If you were the family of a perpetrator, how would you face the tremendous criticisms and guilt? Also, is everything the victim’s family does justifiable? Does the perpetrator’s family deserve to be backed into a corner? What are human rights in the midst of life and death, love and hate? What is love? What is evil?
Are the media covering the incident the justice? Are netizens urging death penalty the justice? Is the perpetrator’s lawyer the justice? Director Chunyang Lin (林君陽) thinks that “the purpose is to get to the core of the story and create a series that heals and reminds the audience: we may be enveloped by sadness, but remember, there will always be love.”
Episode 1 and 2 will be broadcasted on March 24. You can also watch the astounding trailers and read preview discussions online. These incidents did occur in society, close to you and me. They may even happen again. Faced with all this, what are your thoughts?
Photo source: The World Between Us Facebook Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/pg/theworldbetweenus2019/photos/?ref=page_internal