第36个故事

I admit I am a sucker for Taiwanese movies. Just to set the record straight, I don't mean the melancholic Hokkien drama serials that, more often than not, contain the regular cast of screaming actors with standard 7 facial expression. I am more partial to Formosa's semi-arthouse local movie industry that is characterised by mid-budget productions, independent directors, credible cast, and an heartfelt urban story with an underlying political/ social message.

I have to admit I caught this movie without knowing what to expect. I was more drawn to the fact it had 张翰 Chang Han in it. He is after all a very good established Taiwanese actor that offers a seal of quality like 戴立忍 Dai Li Ren. But I do remember Chang Han for the Casanova that stole the hearts of many pretty Taiwanese actresses/ singers, including my favourite Mando-pop singer 苏慧伦.

Anyway, before we digress, 第36个故事 (which goes by the English title "Taipei Exchanges") is a story about 2 sisters (Doris 朵儿 and her younger sibling Josie 蔷儿) and their experience of operating a cafe. Doris was the baker, while Josie was the unwilling business partner. But it was Josie's interesting idea to establish a barter trade service (以物易物) to improve the cafe business, that became the lifeline of the story.

As none of these barter items are for sale, many people who found something that they like in the shop couldn't purchase them without exchanging it for something else. The simple message being that some things in life are priceless because of their intrinsic value ("心里价值") that only the owner would truly appreciate.

Zhang Han really shines in this movie by playing a middle-aged man that arrived at Doris' cafe to barter off his 35 bars of soap that he collected from different destinations. In return, he wishes to exchange for a love story for each destination. Well, but it seems that he ended up recounting his experiences at these 35 places to Doris.

Doris found herself amazingly attracted to this gentleman who encompasses her dream of travelling around the world. Despite the academic and career success, her heart remains empty from her unrealised childhood dream. She visualised images from his vivid anecdotes and illustrated 35 drawing for every soap. In a sudden twist of events, he withdrew his soaps and the cards, and disappeared. It was only 2 weeks later that he knew he had also fallen in love with Doris. This time, he wrote a letter to Doris - asking her to write the 36th story with him.

The director had used discreet undertones in the script, as how Asian society is in the department of love, making it this a v-e-r-y charming production among the "wham-bam" movies flooding the market nowadays. The director also challenges the audience with a question that is atypical of the Taiwanese society - "To choose, at a young age, between a chance to travel round the world VS a chance to education". He cleverly inserted (humorous) candid interviews with various members of the public in Taiwan. The transition between reality interviews and the dramatised production was refreshing, and in some parts, thought provoking.

总有一些人多了一个沙发，又有一些人少了一个沙发，

但他们始终有缺乏，　因为他们还没有遇见彼此。

这就是城市的故事。

I just thought this phrase that popped up near the end of the show resonates in an urban society like Singapore. We often hear people seeking for life happiness, job fulfillment, or material wealth, but many are unhappy with their status quo. And how often are we willing to take the risk and venture into unfamiliar terrain?

Indeed, it takes the Lord (or if you prefer, fate) lots of wisdom to match you with the item you are looking for.