The period film Murder of the Century (世紀血案), based on the Lin (林) family murders set for release next year, seems to make no secret of its intentions. Screenshots of an unverified script suggest the movie aims to distort and rewrite the story of the shocking, unsolved murders of then-imprisoned provincial councilor and democracy advocate Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄) mother and twin daughters on Feb. 28, 1980, during the White Terror period.
It whitewashes the enormity of the crimes committed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime.
In a cruel disregard for their grief, 84-year-old Lin and his family were not consulted before the film was made.
The movie is a foreshadowing of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) designs on Taiwan. Glossing over the dark history of Taiwan under the authoritarian regime of the KMT and in a show of “blue-red” collaboration, it paves the way for a new authoritarian regime — under the CCP.
Authoritarian governments rely on state violence to maintain control, instilling fear in their citizens, while maintaining a “clean” appearance. Beneath Murder of the Century’s cinematic veil, there is a foreboding sense of an authoritarian return.
Once again, an authoritarian regime from China looms large in Taiwan. “Red” at heart, but clad in “blue” and “white,” it waits for a chance to reimpose its terror.
The killings at Lin’s home occurred during the daytime when it was under continuous government surveillance. Who else but the KMT could have ordered the killings?
The leaked script regurgitates rumors spouted by the authorities that independence advocates were to blame for the murders. At the time, J. Bruce Jacobs, the late US-born Australian academic who specialized in Taiwan studies, and former legislative speaker You Si-kun (游錫?) were implicated in the killings.
The script goes as far as to insinuate that late historian and democracy advocate Su Beng (史明) was involved, an entirely unsubstantiated idea that goes beyond even what Hsu Mei-lin (徐梅鄰), then-Taiwan Garrison Command spokesman dared to suggest at the time.
If the script is accurate, then the director, Hsu’s grandson, Hsu Kun-hua (徐琨華), has no qualms in crafting such a narrative.
Attempts to manipulate Taiwan’s historical trauma would wage cognitive warfare and incite domestic chaos.
From the start of production to completion, the filmmakers failed to notify Lin and his family, undoubtedly inflicting a kind of secondary trauma.
The film’s investors and production company have significant connections to China, suggesting that the movie’s intention to destabilize Taiwan are self-evident.
The film comes as an omen, signaling the resurgence of the threat of an authoritarian headsman. Its ghost is no longer solely controlled by the KMT’s old elite, but is now manipulated by the CCP as well, with designs to take control of the prevailing narratives of Taiwan’s defining historical events. Under the guise of artistic freedoms, it is laying the groundwork for authoritarian rule should the CCP succeed in taking Taiwan.
Hu Wen-huei is a veteran journalist.
Translated by Gilda Knox Streader
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