Between 1979 and 1983, 117 violent and gritty social realist pictures were produced in Taiwan, which eventually came to be known as Taiwan Black Movies. One of the most iconic is definitely “The Lady Avenger”, both because it is an exploitation movie directed by a woman, but also because it uses exploitation as a medium in order to make realistic social comments.
Follow our tribute to Taiwanese by clicking on the image below
Kai-ling is a model who, as the movie begins, is shooting a commercial for cosmetics, which includes, though, her being chased by men in a field before she falls down and desperately tries to reach the said product. After shooting the scene numerous times, she has a fight with the director and leaves the scene, but since she is in the middle of nowhere, she has to hitchhike her way home. She is picked up by Li, who ends up raping her. A bit later, against the advice of the people around her, she decides to sue the man, but, in a trial that is a complete fiasco, the man is deemed innocent, having as his defense his status as a higher up in a bank.
Wan-Qing, a reporter, decides to investigate the case and soon writes a rather successful article. However, when Kai-ling is found dead, and she tries to investigate more, she is prevented by her higher ups, while a bit later, in an effort to save another woman from being raped, she is raped herself. When her boyfriend does not show any sympathy for what happened, she decides to take the law in her hands and exact revenge from the men who raped her. Meanwhile, Li still remains in the picture.
Yang Chia-yun directs a film that revolves around two axes, one quite evident and one more subtle, which focuses on the aforementioned social comments. The first one is obviously the exploitative nature of the movie, which features a number of attacks by men on women which end up in rape, with the beginning of the story setting the tone quite eloquently. These are both graphic and quite lengthy, with the one where Wan-Qing is being chased and then raped being utterly onerous, with the acting, the sound and the images resulting in a truly abhorrent spectacle. This approach continues when Wan-Qing takes the law in her hands, with the fact that she uses a bear trap, a knife, a blowtorch, and a meat hook to exact revenge, definitely moving in the same path. Lastly, the continuous verbal and physical attacks on women, who seem to be under constant assault cements this element, and also brings us to the second one.
The concept of ‘this is a man's world' has been repeatedly presented in cinema, but very rarely in such a harsh fashion as the one implemented here by Yang Chia-yun. Starting with the treatment of Kai-ling by the director, who immediately ditches her for another model as soon as she complaints, to the rape by Li, who essentially deems it his right to do so, and the decision of the court in the trial, set the tone in that regard, from the beginning of the movie. The obstacles Wan-Qing finds in her way to capture the story, the way she is raped, and the reaction of her fiance, make the comment even more evident and pointed. Lastly, the ending, which can easily be described as tragically ironic, cements the overall remark.
At the same time, the fact that women seem to be continuously under attack, no matter where they are (the street, bars and clubs, working environment etc) creates a nightmarish situation for them, which is realistically heightened by the information regarding how the numbers of rape cases were increasing constantly during the time, in Taiwan. As such, the actions of Wan-Qing are actually justified, even if Yang does not offer the kind of relief for her protagonist other similar movies do, as in the case of “I Spit on Your Grave” for example, an approach that actually makes her message more impactful and somewhat prevents the sensualization of violence.
Regarding the visuals, and considering the quality of the copy we got in our hands (VHS quality), it is quite difficult to make any accurate comment. What is easy to say, though, is that DP Lin Tzu-jung does not shy away from portraying the violent/exploitative scenes, in a no-punches pulled approach that makes the impact of the movie even more significant. The editing by Chiang Huang-Hsiung results in a fast pace that moves into exploitation territory, suiting the overall aesthetics here, which frequently move towards the b-movie.
Lu Hsia-fen, one of the most renowned protagonists of the Taiwan Black Movies, is impressive (and quite sexy) in a rather demanding role, that has her being the recipient of intense violence quite frequently. That she manages to be equally good as a career woman, a housewife, a scream queen and a vigilante is a testament to her performance here.
“The Lady Avenger” is a truly special film, which, although not addressed to everyone due to the graphic depiction of violence, manages to be socially relevant and incorporate rather realistic and pointed comments regarding the (then) Taiwanese society.
