APOLITICAL ROMANCE (Taiwan, 2012)
Director: Hsieh Chun-yi
Cast: Bryan Chang Shu-hao, Huang Lu, Qian De-men, Lu Xue-feng

A China-Taiwan cross-cultural rom-com with an excellent, unforced chemistry between its leads, Apolitical Romance follows Mainland girl (Huang Lu) as she visits Taiwan and gets involved with a local guy (Bryan Chang) who helps her track down her grandmother’s first love from 60-odd years ago. Despite its English title, politics are never far below the surface, though always in a light, easy way. Huang’s feisty, argumentative Mainlander (with the actress turning on a broad Beijing accent) contrasts notably with Chang’s softer, almost boyish Taiwanese, who throws a tantrum when she criticizes his collection of robot toys. She’s constantly referring to Taiwan as a “province” rather than a country. In return, he tries to teach her some Taiwanese (Hokkien) dialect, and introduce her to local food. As the barriers start to fall, and she mellows, the romance starts to click in emotionally, with an airport finale that teases the audience whether the two representatives of Greater China territories will “unify” their relationship.