DIRECTOR: Hsiao Ya-chuan
STARRING: Bai Run-yin, Kuan-Ting Liu, Akio Chen, Eugenie Liu
RUNNING TIME: 1 hr 52 minutes
LANGUAGE: Chinese
Set in the late 1980s, this family drama is about an 11 year old boy who befriends his landlord, nicknamed Old Fox, and learns from him how to survive in a rapidly changing world, as well as things his poor father would never be able to teach him.
***
Old Fox is the fifth fiction feature from Hsiao Ya-chuan, following up to his latest film Father to Son. Hsiao won best director in the 2023 Golden Horse Awards with the movie, as it also bagged the best supporting actor for Akio Chen, best makeup and costume design, and best original film score. The film made its worldwide debut at the Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2023.
The Ministry of Culture (MOC) selected Old Fox out of 14 other Taiwanese films due to its profound analysis of humanity with its motif, narration, layout and subtle depictions of daily life.
The film was produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Elisa Y.H. Lin, and Fumiko Osaka by BIT Production, with Tomorrow Together Capital.
Old Fox is a drama, and it was filmed in Taiwan.
To check out all previous submissions for Taiwan, click HERE.
STARRING: Bai Run-yin, Kuan-Ting Liu, Akio Chen, Eugenie Liu
RUNNING TIME: 1 hr 52 minutes
LANGUAGE: Chinese
Set in the late 1980s, this family drama is about an 11 year old boy who befriends his landlord, nicknamed Old Fox, and learns from him how to survive in a rapidly changing world, as well as things his poor father would never be able to teach him.
***
Old Fox is the fifth fiction feature from Hsiao Ya-chuan, following up to his latest film Father to Son. Hsiao won best director in the 2023 Golden Horse Awards with the movie, as it also bagged the best supporting actor for Akio Chen, best makeup and costume design, and best original film score. The film made its worldwide debut at the Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2023.
The Ministry of Culture (MOC) selected Old Fox out of 14 other Taiwanese films due to its profound analysis of humanity with its motif, narration, layout and subtle depictions of daily life.
The film was produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Elisa Y.H. Lin, and Fumiko Osaka by BIT Production, with Tomorrow Together Capital.
Old Fox is a drama, and it was filmed in Taiwan.
To check out all previous submissions for Taiwan, click HERE.
FILM REVIEW:
(This review contains spoilers.)
“What’s wrong with being like me?”
Old Fox is a deeply evocative film that captures the turbulent economic landscape of Taiwan in the early 1990s through the eyes of an 11-year-old boy, Liao Jie. Set against the backdrop of the volatile stock market and economic upheaval, the film delves into themes of ambition, morality, and the stark contrast between different social classes.
The film begins in the Autumn of 1989. Liao Jie is a fifth-grader living with his widowed father, Liao Tai-Lai. The father’s modest occupation as a restaurant worker forces them to live modestly, struggling with basic needs, although Liao Tai-Lai dreams of saving enough money to buy a home and potentially open a salon, fulfilling a promise to his late wife. He feels that at their current pace, they can accomplish their dream in just three years.
Their lives shift dramatically when Liao Jie befriends Boss Xie, their landlord who is known for his shrewdness. Everyone calls him Old Fox. Initially, Liao Jie hopes to persuade Xie to sell them an apartment, but he also begins to bond with the successful businessman, learning and absorbing everything that Xie teaches him. In addition, recognizing his own past struggles in the boy, Xie attempts to mentor Liao Jie with his pragmatic worldview. This leads to Xie becoming a corrupting influence on Liao Jie, altering the way he perceives the world around him. This puts the fifth-grader torn between a world of inequality that never changes, and the need for empathy and kindness.
Old Fox is a film rich in observation and emotional resonance, reflecting on the impact of economic instability through the eyes of a young boy. By focusing on the everyday experiences of its characters, the film provides a nuanced view of a society in flux - a period marked by rapid economic growth and intense stock market speculation. It conjures a sense of time and place through its careful attention to detail, including the social dynamics and the tensions between different classes, without resorting to overt nostalgia or historical commentary.
The fox is known to be a sly and cunning animal who achieves its goals through trickery rather than simply by force. And in a world that never changes, one can only change their place in the world by using inequality to create inequality, since everyone can only help themselves.
(This review contains spoilers.)
“What’s wrong with being like me?”
Old Fox is a deeply evocative film that captures the turbulent economic landscape of Taiwan in the early 1990s through the eyes of an 11-year-old boy, Liao Jie. Set against the backdrop of the volatile stock market and economic upheaval, the film delves into themes of ambition, morality, and the stark contrast between different social classes.
The film begins in the Autumn of 1989. Liao Jie is a fifth-grader living with his widowed father, Liao Tai-Lai. The father’s modest occupation as a restaurant worker forces them to live modestly, struggling with basic needs, although Liao Tai-Lai dreams of saving enough money to buy a home and potentially open a salon, fulfilling a promise to his late wife. He feels that at their current pace, they can accomplish their dream in just three years.
Their lives shift dramatically when Liao Jie befriends Boss Xie, their landlord who is known for his shrewdness. Everyone calls him Old Fox. Initially, Liao Jie hopes to persuade Xie to sell them an apartment, but he also begins to bond with the successful businessman, learning and absorbing everything that Xie teaches him. In addition, recognizing his own past struggles in the boy, Xie attempts to mentor Liao Jie with his pragmatic worldview. This leads to Xie becoming a corrupting influence on Liao Jie, altering the way he perceives the world around him. This puts the fifth-grader torn between a world of inequality that never changes, and the need for empathy and kindness.
Old Fox is a film rich in observation and emotional resonance, reflecting on the impact of economic instability through the eyes of a young boy. By focusing on the everyday experiences of its characters, the film provides a nuanced view of a society in flux - a period marked by rapid economic growth and intense stock market speculation. It conjures a sense of time and place through its careful attention to detail, including the social dynamics and the tensions between different classes, without resorting to overt nostalgia or historical commentary.
The fox is known to be a sly and cunning animal who achieves its goals through trickery rather than simply by force. And in a world that never changes, one can only change their place in the world by using inequality to create inequality, since everyone can only help themselves.
