Has anyone seen this show? Finished it today and it was decent. They really messed up the plot in the middle and made it entirely about politics and propaganda, but it did touch upon the common issues faced by the migrant workers in Taiwan. Wish they explored more of the systemic racism faced by the minorities instead of make it a political discussion around death penalty again.
Weird plot decisions aside, the acting was FANTASTIC! Especially the last episode gave me goosebumps and made me immensely uncomfortable, which I guess was the intended sentiment. Regina Lei (the girl who played Lina, the Indonesian migrant worker) and Christopher Lee (the main lawyer) acted incredibly well, some of the best performances I’ve seen by Taiwanese actors. The last episode will stick with me for a long time.
On another note, no clue why they don’t have English subs for this show. They speak Indonesian, Taiwanese, Mandarin and A Mei Zu language in the show so I needed to rely on my Mandarin reading abilities which are not great. But still a very worthwhile watch!
I remember I was at the NIA (I think I was getting fingerprinted so I could apply for the FBI checks) they were playing this “show” that was about this Vietnamese bride who was getting abused by her husband constantly and all that…
Interestingly this show was envisioned by an Indigenous director, Tang Fu-jui (唐福睿), who was trained in law at NTU before he decided he wanted to make films. Clearly a talented guy!
About the death penalty part:
In a recent interview with CNA, Tang said when he first came up with the story, he wanted to address the issues of the death penalty and ethnicity which led him to recall a case from 1986 in which an indigenous Tsou youth Tang Ying-shen (湯英伸) was executed for murdering his employer and family despite being subjected to forced labor and mistreatment.
In “Port of Lies,” the protagonist, named Abdul-Adl, who also faces the death sentence, endures abuse from his employer and has his passport confiscated.
With more than 30 years separating the Tang Ying-shen case from the fictional story detailed in the TV show, the director aimed to envision how a similar event from the past would unfold in a modern-day setting.
appreciate opening the thread and all who commented. This was indeed a moving show. Also watched it with Chinese subs, fantastic that English is now available. Hope more can watch!
I strongly recommend going to see And Miles to Go Before I Sleep (九槍).
It is a documentary mainly about the controversial death of Vietnamese migrant worker NGUYEN QUOC PHI in 2017. I thought the film was very powerful and it touches on broader issues like migrant workers who work underground, severe injuries resulting from enforcement efforts, stigmatization, and the high rate of deadly occupation accidents.
There are a limited number of screening at Huashan Spot and Ambassador on Changchun.
I found this list of screening from the FB page but only through tomorrow
I assume you’ve seen this then? I couldn’t find the language info on either of the cinema pages, but judging from the trailer it seems to be subtitled in both Chinese and English?
