The plot of this film places us on the island of Taiwan, where a story is told through Chengxi Yuan (Joseph Huang), a 13-year-old student. He tells us how his father, Zheng Yuan (Spark Chen), who died 95 days earlier after battling cancer, had been having a homosexual relationship with the young actor and theater director Ah Jie (Roy Chiu), thus deceiving his mother San Lian (Ying-Xuan Hsieh), who is now angry because her husband had put his life insurance in the name of his lover, thus depriving the minor of financial benefit.
It is from then on that San Lian will demand the insurance money from Ah Jie, an attitude that will not please his son at all, who, being not only in mourning, but also trapped in the middle of a complicated legal battle between the two adults , she will run away from home and go live in the home of her father's lover so as not to see her, causing the displeasure of both her mother and the man in whose arms her father dies.
The rebellious teenager knew that his father was gay, but had no idea who he had left his mother for. Now he is drawn to the man's fickle nature and his relationship with his father. This event will force the mother to reevaluate her relationship with both of them.
While San Liam blames Ah Jie for not only taking her ex-husband's life insurance money but also ruining her marriage, in therapy and fed up with a mother he considers money-hungry and indifferent, Chengxi Yuan begins to spend more time with Jie in an effort to find out who the "bad guy" is in this situation.
In the young boy's eyes, his mother becomes "Liu San Lian 2.0", as Chengxi Yuan tells his therapist. Angry, demanding, authoritarian, and prone to drama, the teenager can no longer stand his mother's tricks (including throwing away his father's cards), prompting him to seek out Ah Jie, even if it is to threaten to jump from her. balcony.
During the course of the film, we will see flashbacks of the relationship between Ah Jie and Zheng Yuan, who was forced to marry a woman in order to be "normal", since we must not forget that homosexuality in Taiwan continues to be seen as taboo and indecorous, as occurs in other Asian countries, such as Japan, South Korea and Thailand, despite same-sex marriage being legal since 2019, the year after the film was released, which makes it 'Dear Ex' is even more timely, revolutionary and innovative.
We will also know what has happened to the insurance money, for which San Lian will be willing to do anything just to get it (and in part also Chengsi Yuan, since she needs it so that her mother can send her to study in California and thus lose her. of sight). In all of these, Jie has the same intentions, since he is bankrupt after putting his savings into making his lover's last days more bearable, as well as his professional work in the theater.
We will also learn the reason why Saint Liam is a loud and authoritarian mother and ex-wife. The subsequent scenes will show us how much pain he had to endure throughout his life. The actress does a good job of conveying emotions and feelings.
On the surface, Ah Jie is presented as a typical "husband thief" and is called a "fag" by San Lian on more than one occasion. For her part, she is seen as a bitter, authoritarian woman and a despised mother. But when we get to the end of the movie, their roles in Cheng Yuan's life become more focused, as does Chengxi Yuan's role in this triangle.
The doodles drawn by Chengxi Yuan that animate the screen add to the understanding of the story, obscuring and enhancing the live action images below. However, the film's campy qualities should not be taken as fatuous. It is a remarkably moving and compelling painting.
In this way, between the present narrated by Chengxi Yuan and the visions of the past, we will learn the true story of this love relationship, especially the period in which the lover becomes Zheng Yuan's caretaker as cancer devours his body. .
This complex, moving and timely Taiwanese story of pain, intolerance and family infighting, in its narrative arc about a journey of discovery for its three protagonists, in a society where LGBTQ rights are not as advanced as in North America and Europe, It reminds me of 'My Own Private Idaho', without the road trip.
'Dear Ex' feels like a coming-of-age film for its three leads, even though Ah Jie and San Lian are in their thirties. It's not that the trio of main characters end up as friends, drinking soju in a bar, but they all come to understand that they contributed to Cheng Yuan's life and why things happened the way they narrated. There are some leaps of faith in the film's editing, and much of it seems to be disguised by the teenager's voiceover.
This is the first feature film by Mag Hsu, a theater writer and director (she could not resist capturing it in images in the film), whose television scripts have been nominated for various awards throughout Asia. Among his most popular works are 'Mars', 'Silence' and 'In Time with You'. The film in question is co-directed by filmmaker Chih-Yen Hsu, known for being one of the most popular music video directors in Taiwan.
It is not a perfect film. Its Achilles heel lies in the fact that some viewers may find the pace of the film slow at various points, which can cause the plot to become diluted in some aspects. Additionally, the morals of 'Dear Ex' may be difficult for some people to understand.
Against it could also be that the film visually resembles a soap opera, and this is because the directors have extensive experience in television.
Still, it is worth noting that it is an important film made with love from the perspective of narration and interpretation. The splendid direction, photography, editing and editing allows this story to be shaped and guides the viewer in a masterful way.
As the film progresses, the story fractures, traveling back and forth in time as the three characters struggle to reach a point of reconciliation. The stereotypes of San Lian as a manipulative shrew and Jie as an opportunistic rogue fade away, leaving only the tenderness and sense of betrayal they both still feel toward the man they loved. Roles change, as do the characters' feelings for each other.
At times, the film threatens to descend into melodrama, but the attentive directors always knew how to right the course, balancing oversaturated flashbacks with a nuanced portrait of love that withstands both tests and time.
'Dear Ex' offers an interesting look at family relationships, with a bold narrative and bold direction. The film is full of well-developed characters and situations that force us to rethink the idea of ​​family in modern society.
From the comedy-drama, romance, homosexuality and theater genre, the viewer can see that it is not a very simple plot, showing us the social reality of Taiwan, to which is added a homosexual love relationship that is, possibly, one of the most beautiful , although also dramatic, that has never been made into a film.
All this, of course, had its recognition, since the film, after its premiere at the Far East Film Festival, held in the city of Udine, Italy, won the awards for Best Film Narrative, Best Leading Actor (Roy Chiu) , Best Leading Actress (Ying-Xuan Hsieh) and the Press Award at the 20th Taipei Film Awards, to which were added the victories of Best Leading Actress (Ying-Xuan Hsieh), Best Original Sound and Best Edited Film at the 55th Golden Horse Awards (along with five other nominations including Best Picture and Best Director). It also won the best director award at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival.
If I had to summarize, I would say that 'Dear Ex' is an insightful look at the ways people process grief under difficult circumstances. It takes a few moments to explain the film's central problems, just as the story unfolds in a matter of minutes, while the filmmakers largely let their tight script and exceptional performers convey the characters' complex emotions and motivations. brilliantly.
But the film is more about the people than their problems. And the three characters who star in the film are imperfect and partial human beings, but each one contains emphatically sympathetic and credible traits.