Singapore International Film Festival 2018
Turning 18
Language
Mandarin - subtitles to be advised
Genre
Documentary, Family
Synopsis
Growing up in a broken household with an alcoholic mother, Hui-chen takes comfort in practising taekwondo at school whilst dreaming of a better future out in the city. In a similar situation is Pei-yi, who stays with her boyfriend to escape the abuse she suffers at home. When they meet at a vocational training programme, the lives of the two girls, both on the cusp of turning 18, start to change.
Sensitive but not saccharine, Turning 18 is an unflinching examination of girlhood with occasional bouts of tenderness. As a sharp-eyed commentary on the issue of rural poverty in Taiwan, the film confronts issues ranging from the casual racism faced by the country’s indigenous community, to the sexual abuse of minors, to LGBTQ rights, all wrapped in a universal tale of coming of age.