God Man Dog

A well off married couple from Taipei who have become more and more estranged and have slowly fallen silent since the birth of their child. A fruit dealer from the countryside and his wife who together try to battle his alcohol problem. A young woman who works out her aggressions through kickboxing. A young boy who roams around, and a lonely man who delivers massive statues of the Buddha. Director Singing Chen follows her tarnished heroes for several days in their daily lives. Without making too much of their drama, it always remains present: in their sad faces, which the camera attentively observes; in the reserved way they go about their lives. Sometimes music is heard – and the film and the characters take a break and let themselves be pulled along. The director does not set herself up as a puppeteer, holding the keys of her characters’ fates. Instead we get the feeling that a frame is being set up, in which people can find their way back to themselves. Some of them take surprising turns, some of them cross each other’s paths and fates. God Man Dog is a gentle ensemble film, a variation on Short Cuts from Taiwan.
Anke Leweke