Au revoir Taipei

On the recommendation of a friend who had seen this earlier and gave it the thumbs up, I too decided to give this Taiwanese film the go ahead at the expense of a Hong Kong one (which is also somewhat of an ode to the city according to the synopsis) and I soon found myself enjoying this production written and directed by first-timer Arvin Chen, which in essence is a crime-caper-romantic-comedy, putting two broad genres together with remarkable ease.

The French words in the title alludes to our protagonist Kai (Jack Yao) in his pursuit of language excellence as his girlfriend has left for further studies in France. Dropping by a bookstore almost every night and treating it like a library, he soon gets the attention of the salesgirl Susie (Amber Kuo), who takes a liking toward Kai if not for his dedication and perseverance, and tries hard to strike up a conversation. The other narrative thread follows a local mafiaso Brother Bao (Frankie Kao) who is contemplating retirement, running a real estate company which serves as a front, managed by nephew Hong (Lawrence Ko) and his none too bright thuggish employees, all decked out in neon orange jackets.

With plenty of interweaving narratives containing other smaller subplots such as a cop's relationship with his estranged girlfriend, and that of Kai's friend Gao who is infatuated with his convenience co-worker Peach, Au Revoir Taipei unravels itself mainly over one crazy night over Hong and his gang's pursuit of what is believed to be a package of supreme value, handed over by Bao to Kai to traffic to Paris when the latter seeks the former's help for monetary assistance to get him overseas. The title in Mandarin also serves as a pun for a snapshot / slice of Taipei, with its night markets and inevitable establishing shot of Taipei 101 (soon to become an equivalent of what the Eiffel Tower means to Paris), and phonetically it's sounding like spending a night in the city.

The way the film is edited keeps the sprawling narrative threads always under control, and conjures up an experience of a whimsical budding romance against the more realistic elements of one turned sour because of being taken for granted, and another a failure to start because of the lack of basic courage. Much of the comedy comes from the bumbling idiots of henchmen under Hong, and bring genuine laughter for their various clueless antics. The finale offers no unexpected surprises, but it's the way that it gets delivered brings forth that sheer delight by the time the final scene unravels in a dreamy sequence.

Winner of the NETPAC/Asian Film Award at Berlin last month, Au Revoir Taipei is a definite crowd pleaser which can find a ready audience if given a chance to be released in Singapore with the language kept intact.

This film tells the story of a man who has an eventful evening in Taipei with a bookstore staff before he goes to Paris.

I thought this film would be romantic and funny, but it is the exact opposite of what I imagined. The plot tries to be funny with the different subplots, but they all fall flat. The orange suited gang is not funny and the heist is not funny either. The score is repetitive, and uses the same sound effects over and over again. Acting is flat, as most characters are wooden and convey no emotions. I was thoroughly bored by this film.

Au Revoir Taipei reminds me of some Western romantic films where love affairs are often thrown in with gangsters, cops, chases etc. But this film clearly is a lot more light hearted contained some hilarious dialogs between the characters. I laughed out loud during the interactions between the cops and between the real estate agents.

The colors in this film are vibrant, contrasting the night sky, which is very pleasant to behold. There are many locations in the film which I recognized that only added to the realism. I wish there will be more movies like this coming out from Taiwan where intelligent plots and genuine comedic moments dominate.

Executive-produced by Wim Wenders, the great German director of Paris, Texas (1984), and Wings of Desire (1987), Au Revoir Taipei is an assured-feature length debut from Arvin Chen. Written and directed by Chen himself, the film is an ode to light-hearted, whimsical French romantic comedies, but it is ultimately rooted in the culture that is specific to the filmmaker's own. Is Taipei the new Paris, the city of love? Not yet, but through his two lead characters, Chen suggests it could be so, and it could be now.

Kai (Jack Yao) is the film's protagonist. He longs to be with her girlfriend, Faye, who is now in Paris. He spends many nights at a local bookstore to read a specific guidebook that would teach him French. Susie (Amber Kuo), who works in the bookstore, finds him a lonely sight and tries to talk to him. A few exchanges of nervous glances, and the director has impressively set up a boy-girl tension between the two leads, one that strikes a delicate balance between awkwardness and syrupiness, and of which it remains pleasantly consistent throughout.

Chen adds in a farcical crime attempt that Kai finds himself embroiled in. It not only turns out to be a discreet relationship building experience for Kai and Susie, but a relevant episode in which the lives of colorful, humorous supporting characters converge, creating a narrative platform for Chen to explore the singular theme of "the longing for love". The performances are generally subdued; however, the lack of expressive or emotional dialogue is not a flaw but Chen's way of letting his characters take on a conservative front.

These are characters who are either shy, heartbroken (from a failed romance) or simply clueless. We see their motivations but their actions and responses, which are unbeknownst to them, remain quietly humorous to the viewer. And it is this low-key humor that Chen successfully captures that brings a positive vibe to Au Revoir Taipei. The camera-work is clean and simple because the story is clean and simple. Chen could have employed gimmicky techniques like split-screen or quick cuts to show off his talents, but they are not necessary, and I applaud him for that.

Au Revoir Taipei trades a conventional and overly saccharine romantic fable for something that balances commercial appeal with art-house influences. Accompanied by a breezy though occasionally melancholic score, Chen's film will be easily embraced by anyone who demands something different from their usual diet of Western romantic comedies. This is not true love at first sight, but rather the site of first true love. Enjoy.

SCORE: 8/10 (www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com) All rights reserved!

As a filmmaker, a sure way of winning your audiences would be to make a crowd pleaser which has the power to leave viewers smiling from ear to ear once the end credits roll. Come on, who would want to be cooped up in a depressing enclosure all day long to ponder about the unhappiness around us? Once in a while, it is healthy to go on a breezy journey where all things happy and unthreatening happen to everyone. This film does just that, and for 85 minutes, you'd be taken on a gratifyingly wondrous trip around Taipei, where you secretly wished that you are one of the protagonists, fleeting from one spot to the next without having to worry about a sad ending.

First time feature director Arvin Chen brings you a somewhat frivolous tale of an idle young man who wants to visit Paris to hunt down his girlfriend who has unfortunately dumped him recently. He needs money for the trip, so he gets involved with a mobster boss who asks him to help deliver a package. Things go haywire along the way and his goofy friend, the boss' ambitious nephew and a cute bookstore employee get entangled into the web of misadventures. Adding fun to the crowd is a gung ho plainclothes policeman, a motley crew of minions and a group of lindy hop dancers (you have to see the film to understand the importance of their roles in the story).

The first thing that grabs you is how fluffy the plot is – discovering what love is all about in one night? Sure. But who are we to be cynical about the film when it nabbed the NETPAC/Asian Film Award at the recent Berlin Film Festival? Which is why we let our guards down and went along for the ride, leaving all skepticism and scorn behind us. And guess what, it isn't such a bad thing to feel light as a feather once in a while. If people want to be chirpily entertained, we are not stopping them.

Kudos also goes to the cinematography department for capturing the appeal of Taipei. The technical package is commendable, especially for a debut feature film. The warm, loving and charming, dare we say it, personalities of the city are engagingly caught on camera lens to complement the story plot.

Just when you thought the film was lightweight enough, we have equally lovable male and female leads to complete the package – Jack Yao translates enough goof into charisma to appeal to the female audiences while Amber Kuo is so adoringly cute just by pushing the book cart. The best bits of the film go to Frankie Gao (more affectionately known as the Frog Prince to fans of yesteryear's Chinese pop music) as the mobster "villain". The character seems to be tailor made for the iconic pop star, and you have to experience his performance to understand what we are getting at. Elsewhere, look out for familiar faces of Taiwan cinema, including Joseph Chang (why is he sporting a strange hairdo as the plainclothes cop?), Jack Kao (a competent fatherly figure) and Tony Yang (who gets beaten up by Chang in an unintentionally rib tickling sequence).

Without giving too much away, we are guessing that ss the film's end credits roll, you may just get the urge to pick up lindy hop, and dance those worries away.