Original Story
YANG Ya-Che, CHIANG Yu-Chu
Scriptwriter
YANG Ya-Che, CHIANG Yu-Chu
Cinematography
CHEN Ko-Chin
Editor
CHEN Chun-Hung
Composer
Hans CHANG, Fabian CHANG
Art Director
Y.C. KUO, CHU Yu-Chi
Costume Designer
Zoey SU, Yu-Yun LIN
Sound Designer
TU Duu-Chih, CHIANG Yi-Chen

The Chronicles of Libidoists

Director
YANG Ya-Che
Country
Taiwan
Year
2024
Genre
Drama, Romance
Status
Completed
Duration
105 min
Language
Mandarin
Cast
Kang-Ren WU, Chu-Ping LIU, Alisia LIANG, Will OR
Synopsis

From the acclaimed director Yang Ya-che (Blue Gate CrossingGirlfriend, Boyfriend) comes a cinematic exploration of love and longing in the neon-soaked streets of Taipei.

 

In a daring reimagining of "The Little Mermaid," Yang introduces us to a world where the mermaid is not a woman but a young boy, setting the stage for a journey that defies expectations and stereotypes. This is a tale of four souls, each lost in their quest for sexual fulfillment, yet bound by a common yearning for something purer, something that might resemble love.

 

Meet Lu, a trans female haunted by an incomplete sense of womanhood, chasing the elusive high of a transformative ecstasy. Her best friend, Queenie, is a wealthy heiress entangled in an arranged engagement to a gay man, seeking solace in the intricate ties of kinbaku. Their lives intersect with a heartbroken dom from Hong Kong, adrift in the city and nursing a lost love, and Single Pa (portrayed by Golden Horse Best Actor Wu Kang-ren), a culinary enthusiast and former romance writer, struggling to mend the fractures in his family life.

 

This film is a bold statement on the complexities of intimacy, identity, and the desperate search for connection in a disconnected world. The characters' paths converge in a climax that promises to leave audiences breathless, as the underbelly of Taipei's sex scene becomes the backdrop for a revelation of their intertwined destinies.

 
Awards & Festivals
•  Taipei Film Festival 2024  — Surprise Film
•  London East Asia Film Festival 2024