Asian Film Festival of Dallas 2010

• 

“Do you think we’ll get to use our guns this time?”

A romantic comedy with its share of gangsters, cops, mistaken identities and lovelorn innocents, AU REVOIR TAIPEI is the AFFD’s 2010 Opening Night film.

The debut feature by writer-director Arvin Chen, AU REVOIR TAIPEI spends a night in the titular city following Kai (Jack Yao), who is intent on speaking more fluent French before he travels to Paris to visit (and hopefully rekindle his relationship with) a former girlfriend.  Sitting in the local bookstore’s language section day after day, Kai has attracted the attention of stocking clerk Susie (Amber Kuo).  But Kai is blind to any friendly signals Susie has sent out, focused only on Paris.

When local soon-to-be-retiring gangster Brother Bao (Frankie Kao) offers to pay for his ticket as long Kai will deliver a secret package, Kai doesn’t even realize that something might be wrong…which would explain the squad of orange-suited, apartment-lending thugs who chase after Kai and abduct his buddy Gao.  Gao’s only problem up that point was how to get the attention of his convenience store co-worker, Peach.

AU REVOIR TAIPEI beautifully brings the city’s landscapes to the big screen, while breezily mixing its half-dozen plots and subplots, until it allows them to be neatly tied in a bow for all involved.  The film resembles a lighter, more sweet-natured version of a Johnnie To or Derek Yee story.

The AFFD is proud to present AU REVOIR TAIPEI’s Southwest premiere.

Director

Arvin Chen

Cast

Amber Kuo, Jack Yao, Frankie Kao

Country

Taiwan

Language

English Subtitles, Mandarin, Min Nan

Alternate Titles

一頁台北

Release Date

2010

Runtime

85 minutes

Exhibition Format

35mm