Fest Promo Trailer for Taiwanese Film ‘Love Is a Gun’ by Lee Hong-Chi
by Alex Billington
August 15, 2023
Source: YouTube
“Don’t cross the line. You can’t just do anything for money.” Screen Daily has debuted a promo trailer for a Taiwanese indie film titled Love Is a Gun, marking the feature directorial debut of Taiwanese actor Lee Hong-Chi (seen in Thanatos Drunk, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Tigertail). The film is premiering at the 2023 Venice Film Festival in a few weeks in the sidebar Critics’ Week section (aka SIC) – they describe the film as “a dark, painful, fierce neo-noir, after Lee Chang-Dong, Diao Yinan, Wong Kar Wai.” It follows a young man who is determined to start afresh after getting out of jail, but his turbulent past comes back to haunt him, including a gun of which he cannot get rid of. It’s another crime thriller, but this trailer reveals a more colorful, vibrant side to it along with its switch between light & dark themes. The film also stars Lee Hong-chi, with Lin Ying Wei, Zheng Qing Yu, Lin Ke Ren, Lee Yu Yao, and Edison Song. This looks stunning, what a rapturous first trailer. Definitely got my attention, will see this in Venice. Keep an eye out.
Here’s the festival promo trailer (+ poster) for Lee Hong-Chi’s Love Is a Gun, direct from YouTube:
Since his release from prison, Sweet Potato has been content with running a small business with meagre earnings by the seaside, heedless of others people’s advice against it. He is pulled into the whirlpool of his past when his old “boss” (whom he has never met), his mother (who thrusts all her debts upon him), and his buddy Maozi all re-appear in his life. One after the other, they regain control over his new life leaving him no hope for the future. Only Seven can assuage his anxieties ever so slightly. One day, at the smoggy and oppressive seaside, Sweet Potato is finally granted a meeting with the “boss”… Love Is a Gun, also known as 愛是一把槍 or Ai shi yi ba qiang in Mandarin, is directed by the Taiwanese actor / filmmaker Lee Hong-Chi, making his feature directorial debut after starring in films previously. The screenplay is written by Lee Hong-Chi and Lin Cheng Hsun. This is premiering at the 2023 Venice Film Festival in the Critics’ Week (Settimana Internazionale della Critica) sidebar. No other release dates are set – stay tuned for news.