Terrorizers [青春弒戀] (2021)

Far East Film Festival 24

Terrorizers is one of the best films shown at FEFF 24. It is a complex exploration of relationships and self in a large modern metropolis.

The film is divided into four parts (the last very short) named after the four main protagonists (although each part does not focus solely on the titular character).

The film opens with chef Xiao Zhang [J.C. Lin, Moneyboys] meeting waitress and would-be theater actress Yu Fang [Moon Lee] who feels that everybody tells her they love her and then leaves. It turns out that, although she does not initially remember him, he had a crush on her years previously. They start to see each other until their relationship is interrupted by a violent attack.

The film then goes back in time and broadens out its scope to bring in other characters including the entitled and angry young man Ming Liang [Lin Po-Hung, I WeirDO] and would-be film actress Monica [Annie Chen] who struggles with her online past. These segments explain how we got to the point of the violent attack and examine the aftermath.

In his last film (City of Last Things), Malaysian-born and Taiwan-based director Ho Wi-ding tried perhaps to be too clever by telling the story in reverse chronological order. The current structure works much better. It does not – contrary to what some reviewers suggest – provide a Rashomon effect: the later chapters provide additional rather than alternative perspectives,

Overall, it is a stunning film exploring urban alienation and the need for affection and love with excellent acting by the ensemble cast and brilliant direction by director and co-writer Ho (producer Hu Chih-hsin is credited as co-director in some sources).

The film could be seen as suggesting that video games and the media are the new terrorizers (indeed director Ho has said something to that effect). But, for me, while urban modernity can contribute to alienation and loneliness, it is good old-fashioned toxic masculinity which is the main cause of terror.

It is interesting to note that while similar films can be found in Korea and Japan, they are much less common in mainland China (outside the work of Lou Ye and some similarly minded directors). Mainland films which explore the impact of modernity in an urban context tend to be located in a family setting (Sister), or focus on migrant workers (Walking Past the Future) or in lower tier cities where people are more concerned about survival and health care bills (Streetwise, River of Salvation). In part, of course, this is because China is still a developing economy but in a country with at least 10 cities with a population of 8 million people or more, one might expect more of a focus on the impact of urban modernity on people’s lives.

One minor point is that it takes a brave (or foolish) filmmaker to name their film (in English) after one of the most complex films of the Taiwanese New Wave (The Terrorizers (1986)) by perhaps the best Taiwanese director Edward Yang (the Chinese title is different). I am not sure that it was a wise decision to burden the film with this title but this is a rather minor complaint.