I WeirDO (Chinese: 怪胎) is a 2020 Taiwanese romantic drama film written and directed by Liao Ming-yi (in his feature directorial debut), and starring Austin Lin, Nikki Hsieh. The film had its world premiere at the 22nd Far East Film Festival on June 29, 2020, where it won the Purple Mulberry Award.[3][4] It was officially released in Taiwan on August 7, 2020. It is the first Asian feature to be filmed entirely on an iPhone, a 32-day shoot on the iPhone XS Max.[5]
| I WeirDo | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Traditional Chinese | 怪胎 |
| Simplified Chinese | 怪胎 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Guài tāi |
| Directed by | Liao Ming-yi |
| Written by | Liao Ming-yi |
| Starring | Austin Lin Nikki Hsieh |
| Cinematography | Liao Ming-yi |
| Edited by | Liao Ming-yi |
Production company | Activator Marketing Company |
| Distributed by | Cathay-Keris Films Filmott mm2 Entertainment SPO Sony Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 104 minutes[1] |
| Country | Taiwan |
| Language | Mandarin |
| Box office | NT$45,129,701[2] |
Synopsis
editPo-Ching is a freelance translator with severe OCD and serious symptoms of mysophobia. He spends most of his waking hours cleaning up his apartment, covers up fully when going out, frequently washes his hands wherever he goes and limits his grocery shopping to the 15th of each month. As a result, his habits have isolated him from the general public and people see him as a complete weirdo.
On one such shopping trip, he meets another weirdo Chen Ching, who shares similar habits and tics. As they spend time together, Po-Ching learns that Chen Ching works as a nude model for drawing classes, but her allergies mean she frequently experiences hive attacks during prolonged sessions. Po-Ching proposes that Chen Ching move in with him so they can support each other, and they quickly bond over their shared habits and experience difficulties, becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. Together, they swear that nothing will change between them.
The following day, Po-Ching suddenly discovers that he is no longer mysophobic, being able to touch grime on a window without breaking out in allergies. A distraught Chen Ching consults various doctors to see if Po-Ching's OCD can be restored before he assures her that his newfound state will change nothing. Despite this, Chen Ching realizes that Po-Ching will eventually yearn for a normal life not bound by the limits of his previous lifestyle; sure enough, Po-Ching accepts a job at a publishing company, becomes distant from Chen Ching as his career progresses, and eventually dumps Chen Ching to move in with his colleague Mei-Yu. Chen Ching returns to her previous apartment as an emotional wreck. At the same time, Po-Ching discovers that he has started obsessively rewashing his hands, as if from stress triggered by his betrayal.
The movie abruptly cuts back to Chen Ching lying awake in bed next to Po-Ching, revealing that the events of Po-Ching's recovery have been a dream. Spotting a stray lizard, Chen Ching gets out of bed and inadvertently grabs a dirty broom to chase it away, realizing that her mysophobia has been cured overnight. Recounting the events of her dream, Chen Ching imagines a sequence of events where her and Po-Ching's roles are reversed: she goes ahead to lead a normal life, takes on an office job, and eventually leaves Po-Ching to pursue a relationship with her co-worker, leaving Po-Ching distraught and alone in his house.
In the present, Po-Ching wakes up to find Chen Ching clutching the dirty broom. She looks back at him, visibly shaking and tearful, knowing that their relationship has irreparably changed and terrified of the future to come, concluding the movie on a cliffhanger.
Cast
edit- Austin Lin as Chen Po Ching
- Nikki Hsieh as Chen Ching
- Chang Shao-huai as Psychiatrist
- Aviis Zhong as Mei-Yu
- Chung Cheng-chun as Chen Ching's Colleague
- Zhong Yuechun as Dermatology Clinic Physician
Awards and nominations
edit| Award | Category | Recipients | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22nd Far East Film Festival | Purple Mulberry Award | "I WeirDo" | Won | [6] |
| Audience Award | Nominated | |||
| 19th New York Asian Film Festival | Special Mention | Won | ||
| Best Film | Nominated | |||
| 57th Golden Horse Awards | Best New Director | Liao Ming-yi | Nominated | [7] |
| Best Leading Actor | Austin Lin | Nominated | ||
| Best Leading Actress | Nikki Hsieh | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Liao Ming-yi | Nominated | ||
| Best Visual Effects | Sam Kung, Miao Tien-yu, ArChin Yen | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | Jhong-Syuan Wu | Nominated |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "I WeirDo". douban. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ "全國電影票房2021年01/11-01/17統計資訊" (PDF). 國家電影及視聽文化中心. 2021-01-21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
- ^ "I WEIRDO, A POP FAIRY TALE (WITH MASKS)". fareastfilm. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
- ^ "Unveiled all the Winners of Udine Far East Film Festival 2020 online edition". Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ "Director of Taiwan's hit film 'I WeirDo' sits down to chat". Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ "Unveiled all the Winners of Udine Far East Film Festival 2020 online edition". Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ 金馬獎歷屆入圍得獎名單
External links
edit
Media related to Mobile phone films at Wikimedia Commons- I WeirDO at IMDb
