Cast : Wei-Chen Liu, Rimong Ihwar, Devin Pan
drama. thriller / Taiwan, United States, France / original title : LOCUST / Color / status : completed / Mandarin, Taiwanese, Haka, English / long feature-film
As the 2019 Hong Kong protests erupt across the strait, Zhong-Han, a silent twenty-nothing in Taiwan, leads a double life – working at a family restaurant by day, and running with a group of local gangsters by night. But when the ownership of the restaurant changes hands, it sets off an unexpected chain reaction that forces Zhong-Han to witness and confront the corrupt power games of his country.
Director KEFF (Taipei Suicide Story, short, Cannes Film Festival) presents a portrait of contemporary Taiwan on the brink of implosion.
Press
“This masterfully directed, tragic, romantic genre film, is a tribute to the great masters of Taiwanese and American cinema, and offers a passionate and skillful reinterpretation of neo-noir conventions.”
Ava Cahen - Critcs' Week's Artistic Director
“Simmers confidently before erupting in forceful fashion. Its visual style is as finely-tuned as its cogent social-political critique. The way Locust fuses his prior exploration of transient existence with suitably punchy crime elements will grab the attention of distributors. A metaphoric exploration of how power is ruthlessly consolidated through coercion, corruption and manipulation. Excellent lensing by Danish cinematographer Nadim Carlsen captures the warm appeal of Taipei’s fading traditional areas, while also mining neo-noir aesthetics from a strobe-infused afterhours scene that initially represents escapism and opportunity but comes to signify a soulless future.”
Screen
