Thu, Jan 02, 2025 page2

• Thousands shed tears over new year film

  BEST OF CINEMA: The seven-minute scene shows the main character sitting on a bench in Daan Forest Park and crying, which fans described as ‘incredibly fitting’

  • Staff Writer, with CNA
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  More than 2,500 people in Taipei ushered in 2025 by attending an event on New Year’s Eve inspired by the crying scene in Vive l’amour (愛情萬歲), with local and foreign participants coming together to celebrate the emotional resonance of the iconic film.

  The New Year’s Eve special screening of Taiwan-based Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang’s (蔡明亮) award-winning film at Daan Forest Park’s outdoor stage commenced at 9:45pm and was followed by a countdown to midnight with Tsai, Yang Kuei-mei (楊貴媚) and Lee Kang-sheng (李康生) — the lead actress and actor in the movie.

  The event was held in tribute to the two-hour drama, which ends with Yang walking to the park, which was then still under construction, alone, before bursting into tears on a bench by an outdoor stage in the early hours of a New Year’s Day, following a series of unfortunate events.

  

  From left, Taiwan-based Malaysian filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang, Taiwanese actress Yang Kuei-mei and Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng pose for a photograph in Taipei’s Daan Park on New Year’s Eve.

  Photo: Liao Li-hui, Taipei Times

  The scene, which lasts nearly seven minutes, has become an iconic moment for many film enthusiasts. Tsai also brought home the Golden Lion — the top prize at the Venice Film Festival in Italy — in 1994.

  Before the screening, the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI), the main organizer, held special activities for the attending movie enthusiasts, distributing specially designed tissue packs with the words “do not crycry” on them and handing out sheets of paper for attendees to write down their most tearful moments this year.

  Among those who participated in the event was Lucyna, a 25-year-old Polish student majoring in Taiwan Studies and a big fan of Tsai’s films.

  “There is no better way to spend New Year’s Eve than watching this film at the very spot that it was shot — like the best scene in the history of cinema,” the National Taiwan Normal University student said.

  Having based her undergraduate thesis on Tsai’s films, Lucyna said that she had watched Vive l’amour at least 20 times.

  She particularly admired the film’s final crying scene, which she described as having “so many layers.”

  “I wish movies were like that nowadays... Just speaking about it makes me so excited to see it again,” she added.

  Yun Chen (陳婕云), an 18-year-old Taiwanese university student and a film lover, expressed her admiration for the film’s long takes, which she described as “conveying a sense of urban desolation and emptiness.”

  “I think it’s incredibly fitting to use it [as a backdrop] for crying,” she said, adding that the pressures of being a university student in Taiwan often leave her overwhelmed, which might bring her to tears by the end of the screening.

  As for her new year’s wish, Chen said she hopes to secure tickets to upcoming film festivals, particularly the Golden Horse Fantastic Film Festival, which she eagerly looks forward to.

  Although “cry” was the theme of the event, the audience frequently burst into laughter during the film’s lighter moments, with many seated on the grass surrounding the stage, as the seats closer to the stage were completely full.

  The TFAI said that the event held “considerable significance” as last year marked the 30th anniversary of Vive l’amour and the completion of the park.
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