Fridae

Premiered at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, Ghosted describes how three women are interlocked in a myriad of amorous relationships, from the past to the present. 

The story, revealed through flashbacks, begins as Chen Ai-Ling (Ke Huan Ru) persuades her mother to allow her to move to Hamburg for tertiary dance school alongside working at her uncle’s restaurant. The chance encounter of the protagonist and Sophie Schmitt (Inga Busch) at the cinema sparks off an intense relationship, where the script brings out the romantics of a love exchange between the two women. 

Almost like an autobiographical fragment from the German director’s fascination with Taiwan and Chinese culture, the appropriate characterisation of Sophie as a filmmaker eminently permits the camera to be a medium where the past and future intertwine, and where the familiar and foreign are juxtaposed. We see Sophie videoing Ai-Ling as she rehearses for her dance and when they both go on trips to the North Sea. Later, we see her making a documentary about the Chinese diaspora in Hamburg as Ai-Ling introduces her friends, among whom one leather dyke becomes closely acquainted with Sophie.

Ai-Ling becomes fervently jealous and heads off to seek advice from neighbour Englishman Leon, but the lack of resolution sees her wandering off into a lesbian bar and drinking Mai Tais with a blond lawyer. 

In comes an unidentified character only known as Wang Mei Li (Hu Ting Ting), who poses as a news reporter seeking to learn the truth of Ai-Ling’s disappearance. Though married (to a man), Mei Li seduces Sophie all the way from Taipei to Hamburg, in want of satisfying her journalistic curiosity. 

This film is not only about lesbian affairs, but also touches significantly on issues close to our lives as Chinese. It is for those who are interested in the frictions of inter-cultural relations, coming out in traditional Chinese culture, the transcendence of the Chinese diaspora among other issues. Other than the difficulty of adjusting to the different accents, the diegetic visual-musical techniques effectively complement the a-teleological storyline.  

Ultimately, how many heartfelt lesbian films do you get to see in Singapore? Come support IndigNation 2009. With the sponsorship from Fridae.com, we sincerely present our first international venture to bring quality GLBT films to Singapore audiences.

Ghosted (R21)

2009 | 86 min | English, Mandarin and German

12 and 13 August 2009, 8pm @ The Arts House

Tickets are available from The Arts House (www.theartshouse.com.sg) or 63326919.