It is unexpected that a film like Prince of Tears is suddenly causing a lot of good buzz. Some of the new reviews are calling it extremely beautiful. The film is directed by Yonfan and is set in the 1950’s. It was a time for hunting communists on the Island of Taiwan called White Terror. Ray Bennett of the Hollywood Reporter told “More a tale of personal betrayal than a depiction of a nation going through turmoil, the film might travel reasonably well in Asia but success elsewhere will have to rely on audiences’ appetite for its romantic flourishes and fairy-tale wrapping.”
But really who can trust a trade magazine to give a review. I think a lot will be clear when it is screened at the Toronto Film Festival. It is surely one of the few films that we will keep our eye on. But there is a lot of things going against it especially the positive communist angle. There is a chance that the audience will shy away from the theatres to watch this one. But I m pretty sure it will raise some interesting questions.
