Written by Helen S.
A rare depiction of female lust and romance-exploitation by Taiwanese film-maker Lee Yi-Fang, LITTLE BLUE is not a film about love, but primitive desires.
Lee Yi-Fang's directorial debut LITTLE BLUE explores female self-discovery, lust, and passion through the experience of females in different generations.
The film begins with the journey of a high school girl, Xiao-Lan, her introspectiveness of sexual liberation through the pains in the reality of sexual and romantic exploitation of females. The narration of the film audaciously presents that society continues to define the act of sex, is to exploit the vulnerability of young females and obscure it as the concept of love.
Xiao-Lan’s venture densely contrasts with her mother Vivi, a character who possesses the autonomy of lust, sexual liberation and still yearns for the sensuality of intimacy. Vivi’s life is surrounded by the entanglement of work and men, her mere concern for her daughter's emotional well-being proposed the beginning of Xiao-Lan boldness in sexual liberation.
Director Li masterfully captures the essence of Taipei’s metropolitan atmosphere by presenting the youthfulness of a lively school yard in contrast with the melancholy of the adults’ worlds at work and home. The cinematography is expressively intimate, highlighted by the blue and desolate lighting in scenes that effectively acquire both the perplexing and transparency of every character.
As the concept of dating had been blurred in recent decades, it had without a doubt established a whole new meaning for the younger generation. LITTLE BLUE is not a film about love or a didactic representation of empowerment in sexual liberation for females, it is merely the diaphanous observation of females in current society. It depicts that females continue to feel disconcerted by their own sexual lust clashing with the dilemma of social expectations.
“When teenage girls talk about their sexual explorations or awakening, they still talk with a sense of shame, seemingly painfully upset. Nothing has really changed in this sense from before. These experiences made me determined to shoot a film about these ever-present mental scars that females continue to self-harm themselves with. Indeed, I believe that by trying to understand and depict them on film, these cruel scars may have a chance to heal properly, and subsequently, offer an opportunity for teenage girls in the audience to find some strength of their own." - said director Lee Yi-Fang
LITTLE BLUE is fearlessly honest in representing women who are navigating their sexual desires and who are trying to get in touch with their respective sexual identities. The film is a coming-of-age story that explores the complexities of female lust and the desire for relationships. It is a dynamic and evocative tale that interconnects the complexities and ambivalence of self-desire, societal expectations, and lost innocence.
SYD: SUN 23 JULY | 4:30PM
with Short Film DUET《二重奏》
MEL: SUN 30 JULY | 4:30PM
with Short Film DUET《二重奏》
HBR: SUN 6 AUG | 12:45PM
with Short Film DUET《二重奏》
CBR: SUN 13 AUG | 3:45PM
with Q&A
BNE: SAT 19 AUG | 3:45PM
with Q&A