By Seaver Wong
I was able to watch an upcoming film titled Girlfriend * Boyfriend (女朋友。男朋友). This film was actually quite refreshing from the summer action and blockbuster movies, such as The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, Prometheus, The Dark Knight Rises, and other films of that nature.
I enjoyed this film. I loved that this film incorporated real-life events in Taiwan, from the issue of school uniforms and why the women there are lobbying for shorts instead of skirts to why Taiwan was under martial law in 1985 because they want to beat Communist China and the sudden protests two years later and into the 1990s. That being said, I really loved the dynamic between the three main characters. I do feel sad for all three of them. The three of them wanted to rebel against the martial law that Taiwan was in in 1985. They accomplished that, but yet their friendship took a turn for the worse in the process.
I saw what happens when people get caught up in politics and trying to make the place they live in a better place than the one they were raised in. They got caught in the political turmoil and their relationships paid for it. I am reminded that we are all messed up inside and that no one is perfect, not even Asians. I do have a minor gripe with what Rhydian Vaughan’s character, Wang Xinren did. His actions reminded me of a stereotype concerning foreigners, even though Vaughan is half-English and half-Taiwanese. Wang Xinren was able to do so much, but he took his wife and his friend for granted and even though he is on top of the world, he was not happy. I was cheering on Gwei Lun-Mei’s character, Mabel Lin, because she was the rock that tried to hold everything together, although she herself was coming apart at the seams. I felt sad for her because she achieved so much, but she never got to enjoy it. She had the happy life on the outside. It was a facade.
Joseph Chang’s character, Chen Zhongliang, is one that I somewhat can relate to because initially I thought he was the submissive one, but it turns out he had a skeleton in his closet and he was unsure of himself. He was also bitter at the world when in actuality he is the one who is a mess and needs to change. I see a bit of myself in his character and he’s very relatable, whether we want to admit it or not especially in the Asian American culture. It’s also ironic of what happens to him at the end of the film concerning that he seemed to be somewhat unstable. The three main protagonists put on a great acting performance that really oozes emotion, tension, and drama. I would recommend this film and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.
So, now it’s your chance to watch the film “Girlfriend * Boyfriend” and win FREE tickets. AsianInNY is hosting an event on Sunday Aug 5th called “Invite A Date”, come join us! To win free tickets: www.asianinny.com/?p=20302
Follow us at https://www.facebook.com/AsianInNYFans for more event coverage and interviews.
Leave a Reply