The Personals (1998)

Director: Kuo-Fu Chen
Writers: Kuo-Fu Chen, Shih-Chieh Chen
Stars: Rene Liu, Wu Bai, Chao-jung Chen

During the emergence of Taiwan New Cinema, the state-run Central Motion Pictures played a significant role in not only fostering directors of the movement, but the development of Taiwanese cinema in general. Under its new management, the revamped Central Pictures Corporation has digitally remastered six classic films from the 80s and the 90s, producing brand-new digital prints that guarantee to overcome the test of time. After Dust in the Wind, four more of these films are arriving in high-definition on Blu-ray for fans to see these films the best way they have ever looked before.

Based a popular novel, Chen Kuo Fu's The Personals is a documentary-style drama consisted almost entirely of interviews a woman has with her potential suitors after she put out an ad on the newspaper. Screened in the Un Certain Regard section in the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, The Personals is an intriguing exploration of modern relationships, interpersonal communication, and gender politics. In addition to Rene Liu (A World Without Thieves) in an award-winning performance as the woman looking for love, The Personals also features Wu Bai (Time and Tide), Doze Niu (Monga), and Aaron Chen (Eat Drink Man Woman) as potential suitors.

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