Taiwanese-Canadian director Frank Chen (陳惟揚) definitely took a gamble when he embarked on his four-year journey documenting baseball star Wang Chien-ming’s (王建民) comeback to the American major leagues.
Although Chen told reporters during a screening in Taipei that he had a backup scenario just in case Wang failed, it simply would not have been as gripping and heartwarming as the finished product that premiered in the US in October and will hit Taiwan box offices tomorrow.
His eventual success is vital to the narrative, especially when the film opens with Wang at the lowest point of his career, long removed from his halcyon days with the New York Yankees when he was an elite pitcher with a deadly sinker. Six years after injuries derailed his promising career, Wang is seen driving alone on a road trip, bouncing around the minor leagues looking for a second chance, but he even gets cut by the Southern Maryland Blue Claws, a team probably unfamiliar to even American viewers. At this point, Wang is 35 years old, much older than most of his competition, but he simply does not want to give up.
Photo courtesy of Activator Marketing Co
Tension builds as Chen juxtaposes scenes from Wang’s best days with his current situation, rekindling memories for those who had stopped paying attention to the “Pride of Taiwan,” or were wondering what happened to him. Actually, he’s never gone away nor quit. It’s a straightforward and polished documentary that has the essential elements of suspense, intrigue and plenty of tender footage of Wang and his family, especially his relationship with his two sons. The film paints a multi-dimensional picture of Wang as a human being and not just a baseball player, even though baseball is the only thing Wang has ever known and is what drives his entire existence.
Despite his accolades, Wang is a quiet and reserved character, which is why some of the sequences are monotonous. It wasn’t a surprise when it was revealed that he was reluctant to participate in the project, especially when his career wasn’t going the way he wanted it to. He’s a gentle giant, a likeable guy — as attested by the many testimonials of his family and colleagues in the film — but that does not make for exciting cinema, unfortunately, as the highs and lows in the movie mirror his personality. Kudos to Chen for staying true to the subject and not embellishing, but some of the editing in the middle of the film could be tighter to hasten the pace.
A sensitive and persistent storyteller is needed to draw out the inner layers of this kind of subject, and fortunately Chen seems to be that kind of director. Besides his baseball skills and height, Wang really doesn’t stand out, but through his sheer inner strength and intimate interactions with people in the film, one does get a good sense of who Wang is by the end. It’s definitely an inspiring tale, and will surely resonate a lot stronger with Taiwanese audiences who see him as a hero. In the US, he’s just another pretty good foreign player who didn’t last long.
Photo courtesy of Activator Marketing Co
Given this relative anonymity, one can’t help but wonder about the slick production and big-time cinema feel of the documentary, especially when it’s coming from a first-time director about a not-so-mainstream character from a country that many people have heard of but know little about. It turns out Chen had help. Fubon Financial Holding (富邦金控) helped finance the project, while the producer is Taiwanese-American actor Brian Yang, who starred in Hawaii Five-0 and produced the Jeremy Lin (林書豪) documentary, Linsanity.
These transnational partnerships are great for Taiwan as it puts the country on the map for Western audiences. Taiwan is clearly introduced in this film as “a country the size of Maryland and Delaware combined but with a population of 23 million.” Attach it to a poignant story like this — especially one that involves America’s national pastime on its own home turf — and it’s great publicity for Taiwan in a time when it’s most needed.
Photo courtesy of Activator Marketing Co
Cheng Ching-hsiang (鄭青祥) turned a small triangle of concrete jammed between two old shops into a cool little bar called 9dimension. In front of the shop, a steampunk-like structure was welded by himself to serve as a booth where he prepares cocktails. “Yancheng used to be just old people,” he says, “but now young people are coming and creating the New Yancheng.” Around the corner, Yu Hsiu-jao (饒毓琇), opened Tiny Cafe. True to its name, it is the size of a cupboard and serves cold-brewed coffee. “Small shops are so special and have personality,” she says, “people come to Yancheng to find such treasures.” She
In July of 1995, a group of local DJs began posting an event flyer around Taipei. It was cheaply photocopied and nearly all in English, with a hand-drawn map on the back and, on the front, a big red hand print alongside one prominent line of text, “Finally… THE PARTY.” The map led to a remote floodplain in Taipei County (now New Taipei City) just across the Tamsui River from Taipei. The organizers got permission from no one. They just drove up in a blue Taiwanese pickup truck, set up a generator, two speakers, two turntables and a mixer. They
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) attendance at the Chinese Communist Party’s (CPP) “Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War” parade in Beijing is infuriating, embarrassing and insulting to nearly everyone in Taiwan, and Taiwan’s friends and allies. She is also ripping off bandages and pouring salt into old wounds. In the process she managed to tie both the KMT and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) into uncomfortable knots. The KMT continues to honor their heroic fighters, who defended China against the invading Japanese Empire, which inflicted unimaginable horrors on the
Hannah Liao (廖宸萱) recalls the harassment she experienced on dating apps, an experience that left her frightened and disgusted. “I’ve tried some voice-based dating apps,” the 30-year-old says. “Right away, some guys would say things like, ‘Wanna talk dirty?’ or ‘Wanna suck my d**k?’” she says. Liao’s story is not unique. Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics show a more than 50 percent rise in sexual assault cases related to online encounters over the past five years. In 2023 alone, women comprised 7,698 of the 9,413 reported victims. Faced with a dating landscape that can feel more predatory than promising, many in
RSS