By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Credit: Paramount+
If you’re planning a trip to Taipei, you might want to watch this movie first, or as part of your pre-departure ritual. “Love in Taipei” is not a love letter to Taipei, per se, yet it does show this “city that never sleeps” from the perspective of a westerner with Taiwanese roots seeing it for the first time, as well as from the perspective of the director, Arvin Chen, who lives in Taiwan now.
“Love in Taipei” is based on the novel, “Loveboat, Taipei,” by Abigail Hing Wen. The “loveboat” is a summer school or the “Overseas Compatriot Youth Taiwan Study Tour to Taiwan.” This long-windedly named school is a real place where mainly overseas Taiwanese and Chinese go to learn about their culture (calligraphy, fan dancing, how to speak Mandarin, etc.). It’s called the “loveboat” because the school has been known to result in many relationships and the discovery by its students of Taipei’s famed nightlife.
“Even though I am from the U.S. originally,” Chen told the Weekly,. “I had never made a western perspective movie about Taiwan [or Taipei]. I really liked that the book was based on…getting to shoot a movie in Taiwan, but from a foreigner’s perspective.” Chen, who is known for the movie, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”, explained that it was important for him to highlight the food such as found at Taipei’s night markets and the atmosphere of a “24-hour city.”
Director Arvin Chen with leading lady Ashley Liao. (Photo credit: Dragon 5/Paramount+ © 2022 Lions Gate Films, Inc. and Vicarious Entertainment)
“It really doesn’t feel like any [other] western city,” Chen said. He grew up in suburban California, and could relate to the protagonist, “Ever,” played by Ashley Liao, in some ways. For one, Ever wants to be a dancer, but is too afraid to tell her Taiwanese immigrant parents, who have worked so hard to send her to this expensive school in preparation for a medical degree. Chen, too, wanted to be artistic since he was younger and found it a challenge to “convince my parents—or even tell my parents.” Even though he found it “kind of nice” to be able to show that dilemma in the story “20 years later,” he also couldn’t quite believe this dilemma still exists.
This conflict leads to Ever’s growing self-actualization, which happened for Chen, too.
“You would never think that you would go to [Taipei], and then find yourself,” Chen said.
In the movie, Ever gets caught up in the nightlife and the loveboat, like the rest of the students, along with some help (let’s say pushing) from her roomie, Sofie (Chelsea Zhang). At the same time, Ever plans to submit a recorded audition to a dance school in New York—her real dream—and to spend time with her bohemian Aunt Shu (Cindy Cheng). Things begin to snowball, like they do, and before she knows it, Ever is enmeshed in a love triangle with straight-laced Rick (“Shazam!’s” Ross Butler) and bad boy Xavier (Nico Hiraga).
Ever (Ashley Liao) and Xavier (Nico Hiraga) are there for each other after their dates let them down. (Photo credit: Dragon 5/Paramount+ © 2022 Lions Gate Films, Inc. and Vicarious Entertainment)
Let’s talk about Ever’s taste in men a little bit. One of the first things Ever sees upon arrival at the school is Xavier running from a girl’s room half-clothed. This is check-in day. Classes have not even started and Xavier is already getting his game on. Ever finds this appealing. How cute and hilarious. Xavier also dates her roomie, and we presume sleeps with said roomie, hours or at most a day before Ever re-considers him as a legitimate boyfriend, instead of Rick.
Chen explained to the Weekly that Xavier was a better choice for Ever because he was “true to himself” and not the person Ever’s mom wants her to hook up with, i.e. Rick. “Rick’s problem is that he’s kind of like Ever ([my emphasis)] in that he can’t stand up to his family and he also still has hang-ups [where] he can’t really do what he wants to do in life. Xavier is the total opposite.”
Rick (Ross Butler). Photo courtesy of Paramount+. (Photo credit: Dragon 5/Paramount+ © 2022 Lions Gate Films, Inc. and Vicarious Entertainment)
Point taken. Here’s mine. I will grant that Xavier does his time and holds a torch for Ever the entire summer. This doesn’t stop him from playing the field, and maybe that’s fine. Rick also holds a torch for Ever the entire summer, and respectfully and transparently courts her. Xavier hides his interest, maybe because Rick beats him to it, maybe not. Yes, Rick is afraid of his well-to-do parents and fudges some details to them about Ever since she can’t compare on paper to Rick’s ex. But Rick learns from this and apologizes,. Tthe same way Ever is learning to stand up for what she wants. They have more in common than she does with Xavier. Rick tells Ever he feels the most himself when he’s around her. He is head over heels for her AND willing to grow.
Meanwhile, bad boy Xavier who, sure, it might be fun to travel the world in a Winnebago with, seems to me the more likely to have a meltdown from all the fury he has towards his own parents that’s been building up all this time that he’s been acting like he doesn’t care. That’ll be fun.
So there are some annoying things about this movie, but I get it. “Love in Taipei” is a coming of age story meant for kids in their middle to late teens who will get caught up in the thrill of it all, and respond to the message of following your dreams, even when your parents have different dreams. Their dreams are inline with the “typical” immigrant desire for their children to excel as doctors or dentists, and Ever worries that she’ll ruin everything they worked so hard for. I’d counter that maybe they worked so hard so that their children could be happy and fulfilled.
When Ever tells her parents that she’d rather be a dancer, their response is…nothing. Yeah, nothing. I was a bit floored by that. Maybe they were caught up in Taipei and the loveboat, too.
“Love in Taipei” airs on Paramount+ on Aug.ust 10.
Kai can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.