Taiwan’s Neal Wu delivers a winning story of young love, writes Loong Wai Ting
Celebrated Taiwanese novelist-turned-first time director Neal Wu has plenty of tricks up his sleeves when it comes to filmmaking.
For one, the 39-year-old would give his actors, most of whom are novice, lots of freedom and space.
“It’s to make them comfortable. I love seeing them appearing organic and natural in front of the camera rather than give a forced performance,” says Wu during an exclusive interview with the New Straits Times.
Wu was in town recently to promote his debut feature length film, At Cafe 6, with Hong Kong starlet Cherry Ngan. The film is about a group of friends reminiscing about their bittersweet experiences as high school students in the 1990s.
After Giddens Ko’s 2011 runaway hit, You Are The Apple Of My Eye, and last year’s crowd-puller, Our Times, it seems like Chinese-speaking audiences in the region have a yen for nostalgic coming-of-age, puppy love stories. If that’s the case, then At Cafe 6 will probably become a big hit.
“Every film has it’s own destiny and so does mine. I’m not worried at all about being compared to Our Times or You Are The Apple Of My Eye. I understand that there’s no running away from the comparison but, truthfully, I’m happy it’s compared to those great movies,” Wu says with a smile.
Adapted from Wu’s novel of the same name, At Cafe 6 was written 10 years ago and took another three before it was turned into a film. It opens with veteran Taiwanese actor Leon Dai reminiscing about his school days at a cafe on a rainy night. The story provides a lot of food for thought about growing pains and the consequences of decisions that one makes in life.
With quotes like “everyone has a similar youth, but a different life”, the film offers depth to its otherwise dreamy story. The stories of our formative years are important as it determines who we are as adults.
Those who understand and embrace this tend to be more successful in life, as the film suggests. There are many reasons why Taiwanese teen romances have found a strong following among younger moviegoers - a relatable premise, romantic leanings and high school mischief are just a few.
But Wu doesn’t see it as a trend. “It’s hard to explain. If you take away the film aspect of At Cafe 6, it is just another love story about life choices. It’s like how some people write love songs. It’s not a trend but a genre to reflect on those memories. The topic of love can never be exhausted,” Wu explains.
On his decision to adapt At Cafe 6 as opposed to other titles from his vast bibliography, Wu merely says that it’s all down to fate and luck.
“Filmmaking has never been on top of my bucket list. I was driven by the emotions of youth when I penned At Cafe 6. It was a spark of the moment. Before I knew it, I’d already written over 80,000 characters, so why not get it published?” he says.
Wu adds: “Readers have been clamouring for a film version of At Cafe 6 over the years and that sort of moved me to do it. It’s a way to repay my fans.”
As an author who got the rare opportunity to direct his own work, Wu was set about how he wanted his story to flow.
“I wanted actors who had a natural look about themselves, which is why I chose Cherry and Dong Zijian (the male lead and Golden Horse Best Actor nominee). After all, the story is all about human experiences,” he says, adding that he was very satisfied with their performances.
On whether he will be adapting another work, he just smiled while saying, “So far it hasn’t crossed my mind. But if such an opportunity arises, why not?”
The new film also stars Taiwanese social media personality Ouyang Nini, Lin Bo Hung and Song YiRen.
At Cafe 6 is now showing in
cinemas nationwide.