Films focusing on LGBT themes having been creating ripples in Taiwanese cinema during the last few years, with titles like “Dear Ex” and “Your Name Engraved Herein” becoming both critical and commercial successes. The latest film to be added to this chain is “Dear Tenant“, a box office hit in the country that also netted awards for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Score at the Golden Horse Awards.
“Dear Tenant” is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival
For the past five years, Lin Jian-yi, a rooftop tenant who works as a piano tutor, has been looking after his elderly landlord, Zhou Xiu-yu and her grandson, Wang You-yu, despite the fact that the former is anything but easy going, essentially torturing her “caretaker” every chance she gets. However, staying there is Lin’s way of remembering Wang Li-wei, the father of You-yu whom he had a relationship with. But when Mrs. Zhou passes away under suspicious circumstances, her son Wang Li-gang returns from overseas and discovers that the property has been transferred to You-yu, who has been legally adopted by Lin. Li-gang accuses Lin of killing his mother. He informs the police of his suspicions. An autopsy finds narcotics in Zhou’s system at the time of her death, prompting an investigation that reveals a very different side to Lin. A rather eager police Sergeant recovers a deleted gay sex app on Lin’s phone, and one of his hookups turns out to be a drug dealer. Just as he is about to be arrested for murder, Lin takes You-yu and flees into the mountains…
Cheng Yu-chieh creates an intensely intriguing narrative, with his direction finding its apogee in the way he builds a case against Jian-yi in the beginning, only to shatter it completely, through flashbacks, as the story progresses, thus making a rather pointy comment against the concept of quick assumption. Furthermore, the way he mixes the crime film with the social drama is excellent, with the combination of the two resulting in a captivating story that retains interest from beginning to end, particularly due to the many twists revealed throughout.
At the same time, and in a testament of the narrative’s depth, he manages to make a number of rather pointy social comments. The lives of LGBT and particularly the prejudice still revolving around them is the most evident, with Cheng showing that both people and authorities frequently exhibit a behaviour that borders on racism towards these people. This aspect also benefits the most by Wu Pong Fong’s acting in the role of the sergeant, whose almost militant attitude towards proving Jian-yi’s guilt is another great asset of the narrative.
The concept of euthanasia also gets commented, benefitting the most by Chen Sh-fang’s impressive acting, with her character also commenting on the stubbornness and reliance on “tricks” of the elderly.
The concept of family and what constitutes one is also a central one, with Cheng showing that blood is not the crucial factor in that regard, with the antithesis in the ways Lin and Li-gang act highlighting the fact in the most eloquent fashion. This aspect also extends to the relationship between Lin and Wang You-yu, with Bai Run-yin giving also a great performance in a rather difficult role, that has him becoming the victim of the will of most of the members of his actual family. Particularly his interactions with his grandmother and uncle, and what they ask of him are truly shocking, in some of the best dramatic moments of the film.
Cheng Yu-chieh, despite an approach that seems to aim at glorifying his protagonist, also takes care of showing that he is also a man and not a saint, particularly through his interactions with various men, that also include at least one rather steamy sex scene, adding to the overall realism that characterizes the movie. Mo Tzu-yi highlights the various emotional depths of his character impressively, with the different ways he interacts with the various characters and the authorities being a testament to an overall great performance.
Apart from the narrative however, the movie also thrives in audiovisual terms. Meteor Cheung’s cinematography creates a world that seems as bleak as the life of his protagonist, with the grey and dark hues dominating the imagery. The combination with music intensifies the dramatic essence of the movie, despite the fact that occasionally, and particularly towards the ending, Cheng hits the reef of forced sentimentalism quite hard, although not to the point of faulting the movie significantly.
“Dear Tenant” emerges as a great effort, a film that manages to work on a number of levels, through a multi-leveled narrative that is both entertaining and communicates a number of comments in the most excellent fashion.
