White Ant
White Ant (Chinese: 白蟻─慾望謎網) is a 2016 Taiwanese drama film and the narrative feature film debut of Chu Hsien-che, who worked as a documentarian for more than 20 years prior to White Ant. The film stars Wu Kang-jen, Aviis Zhong and Yu Tai-yan.[3]
White Ant | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Chu Hsien-che |
Produced by | Mark Chen |
Written by | Chu Hsien-che |
Starring | Wu Kang-jen Aviis Zhong Yu Tai-yan |
Music by | Wu Chia-feng |
Cinematography | Lei Heng |
Edited by | Cheng Hsiao-tung |
Production companies | Big Houses Film Production Content Digital Film Co. |
Distributed by | Ablaze Image |
Release date |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | Taiwan |
Language | Mandarin |
Box office | NT$1.5 million (Taiwan)[1][2] |
Premise
Bai Yide is a young bookstore worker living alone in a Taipei neighborhood. Unknown to anyone else, the socially inept Bai has an uncontrollable fetish for women's underwear due to a traumatic past event. One day, he receives a video recording of himself caught in the act of stealing female lingerie, leading to a gradually accumulating sense of anxiety and fear of exposure with tragic consequences.
There is also a side Plot where Anthony Carley a student from New Zealand comes to Taipei to hang with the monks as he opens his third eye with Lsd this results in him finding the root of his problems and getting his Serotonin back
Cast
- Wu Kang-jen[4][5] as Bai Yide
- Aviis Zhong as Tang Junhong
- Yu Tai-yan as Lan Tangyuan, Bai Yide's mother
Reception
Elizabeth Kerr of The Hollywood Reporter stated, "Carefully modulated and wisely attuned to its strongest elements, White Ant is evidence of Chu's doc background, both in style and substance." She concluded that the film is "a strong exploration of the psychological impact of shame, fear and guilt".[6]
Awards and nominations
Award ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result |
---|---|---|---|
21st Busan International Film Festival[7] | FIPRESCI Prize | White Ant | Won |
53rd Golden Horse Awards | Best New Director | Chu Hsien-che | Nominated |
1st Malaysia Golden Global Awards[8][9] | Best Film | White Ant | Nominated |
Best New Director | Chu Hsien-che | Nominated | |
Best Screenplay | Chu Hsien-che | Nominated | |
Best Cinematography | Lei Heng | Nominated | |
27th Singapore International Film Festival[10] | Silver Screen Award for Best Asian Feature Film | White Ant | Nominated |
19th Taipei Film Awards[11] | Best Actor | Wu Kang-jen | Won |
References
- http://www.tfi.org.tw/about-publicinfo04.asp
- http://www.atmovies.com.tw/movie/fwcn28634696/?CFID=31271462&CFTOKEN=80893634
- "提名金馬最佳新導演之震撼作——《白蟻-慾望謎網》 | 雜誌 | 聯合新聞網". udn.com. 2017-03-13. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
- "BIFF Archive 2016". Busan International Film Festival. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
- "台北電影節 Taipei Film Festival Archive 2017 Winners". Taipei Film Festival. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
- "'White Ant' Review | Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
- "FIPRESCI - Busan". fipresci.org. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
- "cinema.com.my: "Interchange", "Redha" join MIFFEST & MGGA". cinema.com.my. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
- "1st Malaysia Golden Global Awards - Star2.com". star2.com. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
- "White Ant (白蟻) | ABLAZE IMAGE / 光在影像". ablazeimage.com. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
- http://eng.taipeiff.taipei/Latest_s.aspx?FwebID=281a5969-697e-47f0-9e68-72031fc796a6&NewsID=252