Love in Taipei features a typical love triangle of the studious young woman who hasn’t put much time or energy into dating or romance, the too good to be true boy genius who also plays football, and the rebellious bad boy who dances to the best of his own drum. The flow of “will they, won’t they” and “who will she choose” moments is a joy to watch as Love in Taipei takes advantage of being set and filmed in the city the movie is named after, allowing audiences to see and appreciate the visual splendor of Taiwan through this film.
The film touches upon themes of learning to connect and appreciate one’s culture, as well as learning to navigate family expectations, which is shown to be an experience many of us can relate to across different circumstances.
Medical school bound Ever Wong played by Ashley Liao has a passion for dance that she would like to embrace but is struggling to live up to what she believes her parents want from her – the prestigious doctor title. Boy wonder Rick Woo played by Ross Butler comes from a well off family with deep pockets and deeper expectations such as what kind of person he should be and who he should date, that results in him ignoring certain qualities in himself and others in order to appease his family. And bad boy Xavier played by Nico Hiraga has no desire to fulfill his successful corporate father’s wishes and is spending the summer coasting through as he naps in class, runs from the monitors and chaperones, as well as enjoying what “love boat” has to offer of course. Ever’s roommate is Rick’s cousin Sophia Ha, who is played by Chelsea Zhang, recognizable to Dorkaholics for her role as Deathstroke’s daughter Rose Wilson in the Titans series.
The film delivers on being a rom com with the cast playing their roles well, but as mentioned before, the cinematography of Love in Taipei masterfully captured by director Arvin Chen, known as an experienced Taiwanese filmmaker, was my favorite aspect of the film. Just as Crazy Rich Asians brought Singapore into the mainstream consciousness for moviegoers, this film may do the same for Taiwan as audiences may want to recreate moments themselves by traveling to places from the film.
