Movie No. 127 (2013): CAPE NO. 7

Cape No. 7 (2008)
Director: Te-Sheng Wei
Cast: Van Fan, Chie Tanaka
In Mandarin, with English subtitles

A failed aspiring rock star (Aga) gives up his dream and, on his motorcycle, finally left Taipei for South Taiwan, his home. Back home, his stepfather finds him a job as mailman. 

The film has two independent time lines which may or may not be connected. One is that of the present's, the one involving Aga and his interactions with local people and unexpected romance with a foreigner. The other is that of an unnamed teacher's brief affair with a local girl during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan in the 1940s. 

The film may be regarded as romance-comedy. Actually, it's hilarious most of the time. But the kind of romance and comedy that you can see in the film is one that you may not have seen in other movies of the same genre, particularly the commercial ones. In addition, all the characters are so interesting that you will care about them. This could have been the reason why it was a huge hit in Taiwan the time it was shown. 

Rating: 3.5/4.0

Date seen: June 23, 2013