From music to films, Taiwan keeps producing quality works these years. It is fast becoming the trusted capital for new Asia media.
So light, so pure, so whimsical. Nothing is really that serious. No one is really that bad. Even a kidnap is not life-threatening. The simple premise of Au Revoir Taipei (一页台北) is kept simple and sweet – two almost goofy, virtually strangers thrown together in a night by circumstances, running across Taipei. She likes him, but he is clueless, only mini goal in life is to learn French and say au revoir to Taipei to find his ex-gf (his petite papillon) in Paris. But as rom-com goes, he grows to like her in that one night. Uninfected and child-like, without digging too deep into motivations blah blah blah.
Newcomer Jack Yao is a charmer. Joseph Chang 张孝全 (Eternal Summer) and Tony Yang 杨祐宁 (Formula 17) are pleasant surprises. 高凌风 and the motley crew of supporting cast are easy and comfortable in their own skins. Dialects, intonations and whininess are uniquely Taiwanese, no concerns about pandering to a world market. Lensed and edited by Americans, streets of nocturnal Taipei are featured wet and Paris-like, yet the scenes exude warmth and charisma. By the end of the film, it brings a smile in your heart about happenstance, about love, about Taipei.
