Cape No. 7

The highest grossing local film in Taiwan's history, Cape No. 7 is now a cultural phenomenon. The film's popularity is not hard to understand; it's rousing and funny, and features situations and characters that are commercial and pleasing. There are some issues that prevent Cape No. 7 from being a masterpiece worthy of its otherworldly box office numbers (Cape No. 7 is second only to Titanic at the Taiwan box office), but director Wei Te-sheng pulls off a minor feat, creating a winning crowd-pleaser that's enjoyable and easy to like even for those not familiar with local Taiwan culture.

Taking place in the seaside town of Hengchun, the story concerns an upcoming concert from Japanese pop crooner Kousuke Atari. The organizers want to provide a local opening act, and town representative Hong Kuo-jun (Ma Ju-lung) refuses to outsource, calling an audition to find Hengchun's representative band. Among the disparate locals who join up are traffic cop Rauma (Min-Hsiung), his father Olalan (Bjanav Zenror), teen church pianist Dada (Joanne), and dorky mechanic Frog (Ying Wei-min). The nominal leader is Aga (singer Van), Hong's stepson and a former rocker who's bitter from his failure to make it on the Taipei music scene.

Aga is initially an unwilling participant, but starts to loosen up over time. His transformation occurs partly due to his burgeoning relationship with Japanese concert organizer Tomoko (Tanaka Chie); the two are initially at odds, but their contentious working relationship soon gives way to youthful passion. The other reason for Aga's turnaround is a set of love letters that he finds in his day job as a mailman. The letters are addressed to the outdated address “Cape No. 7”, and carry a confession of love from a Japanese man to a Taiwanese woman following his repatriation to Japan after World War II. Aga betrays his job duty by opening and reading the letters, but their content - plus his similar border-crossing romance with a Japanese - softens him.

Cape No. 7 possesses familiar, audience-accepted sentimentality and standard characters and situations. At the same time, the film possesses an infectiously entertaining vibe, helped by fine production values, wonderful music, and some very likable supporting characters. A successful commercial film should take the expected and execute it such that the viewer forgives any obvious conventions or predictable emotions, and that's just what Cape No. 7 does. Despite doing nothing new or remarkable, the film is so charming and entertaining that its good intentions shine through. It's sincere, pleasant, and likable enough that the goodwill it asks for does not seem unearned.

Helping is the love letter narrative device; the letters are related via voiceover, with flashbacks depicting the past in nostalgic and affectionate fashion. The scenes demonstrate effective warmth, and the parallel drawn between the past and present romances is a felt one. Unfortunately, the romance between Van and Tanaka Chie is not very convincing, with the minor characters in the film proving more interesting than the leading ones. Standouts include Johnny C.J. Lin as yueqin player Old Mao and Ma Nien-Sien as wine salesman Malasun, with both playing a part in the band's eventual success. Their characters are also representative of one of the film's major strengths: a respect for local Taiwanese and their culture. Taiwan is portrayed here in a loving light; the film pushes local pride with self-deprecating humor and a lack of bombast. Wei Te-sheng conveys that affection to the audience, making his home and his people worth knowing. The film's record-setting box office is only an echo of that achievement.