European Premiere | In Competition
Taiwan, 2024, 126’, Mandarin, English
Directed by: Huang Xi
Screenplay: Huang Xi
Cinematography (color): Yao Hung-i
Editing: Liao Ching-sung
Production Design: Hwarng Wern-ying
Music: Kay Huang, Point Hsu, Angu Liang, Mukio Chang
Producers: Hou Hsiao-hsien, Sylvia Chang
Cast: Sylvia Chang (Jin Ai-xia), Karena Lam (E mma), Eugenie Liu (Fan Zuer), Winston Chao (Old Johnny), Alannah Ong (Grandma), Tracy Chou (Zhou Jia-yi), Ma Tin-ni (Wang Li-fen)
Date of First Release in Territory: November 22nd, 2024
Painting a vast portrait of urban Taipei, Huang Xi’s fantastic 2017 feature debut Missing Johnny is a beautifully crafted sketch of three strangers in the city who bond through a missing parrot and shared loneliness. Years of development and a television series (HBO Asia’s Twisted Strings) later, Huang finally returns with his second feature film, Daughter’s Daughter.
Unlike Missing Johnny, Daughter’s Daughter focuses only on a single character, but it also offers more layered and richer exploration of its complex themes. Sylvia Chang plays Ai-xia, a divorcee in her 60s with two daughters – Emma (Karena Lam), whom she gave up after giving birth to her as a teenager, and Zuer (Eugenie Liu), a rebellious contrarian whom she rarely gets along with. When Zuer and her partner die in a car accident while living in New York City for IVF treatments, Ai-xia goes to claim her body, only to learn that Zuer left behind a healthy embryo, of which Ai-xia now has guardianship over.
Already busy taking care of her dementia-stricken mother in Taiwan, Ai-xia is conflicted between terminating the embryo or becoming a new “mother” in her 60s by finding a surrogate mother to give birth to it. As she tries to make the right choice for herself, she is reminded of being forced to give up Emma, a decision that still haunts her to this day.
The most compelling films about family often force us to question its nature and whether its burdens are worth it. With Daughter’s Daughter, Huang presents a flawed mother who doesn’t always have the answers and is prone to making mistakes out of both selfishness and selflessness. Caught in a city and culture she left behind decades ago, Ai-xia often seems frazzled and confused, trying to understand the choice that has been placed in front of her and unsure how to reconcile with the death of a daughter whom, despite all the grief and resentment she caused, she still loved. Ai-xia’s flaws can make her a difficult character to relate to at first, but Chang’s masterfully nuanced performance finds just the right balance to make Ai-xia a sympathetic protagonist while also letting us see all her flaws.
The film’s dilemma is further complicated with the presence of Emma, who uses Ai-xia’s reluctance to accept the embryo to unleash decades of resentment over her abandonment. Shot in unbroken long takes, their two powerful confrontation scenes, each with very different tones, showcase both Lam and Chang at their very best and help to bring the film’s themes into focus.
If Missing Johnny was influenced by producer Hou Hsiao-hsien, Daughter’s Daughter is clearly influenced by the directorial efforts of its star, who also co-produces the film with Hou. Like Chang’s own films, Daughter’s Daughter takes a delicate approach to explore the psyche of characters facing difficult ethical conundrums. Despite all the generational conflicts and resentment at work, Huang maintains precise control over the film’s tone and never veers into melodrama. The result is a contemplative and insightful film about just how difficult both motherhood and daughterhood can be.
GUEST:
HUANG Xi, director
Sylvia CHANG, actress
Shiny FANG, producer
Huang Xi
Huang Xi began his career in Hou Hsiao-hsien’s production company Sino Movie in his 20s. After working in digital marketing and public relations, he returned to film production as an assistant director on Hou’s
The Assassin (2015). In 2017, he made his directorial debut with
Missing Johnny, which won four prizes (including Best Screenplay) and Best New Performer at the Golden Horse Awards, followed by the HBO Asia TV series Twisted Strings in 2022.
Daughter’s Daughter is his second feature film.
FILMOGRAPHY
2017 – Missing Johnny
2024 – Daughter’s Daughter