Nina Wu 2019

Zhuo ren mi mi

Directed by Midi Z

This fiery Cannes title challenges the #MeToo movement’s popular discourse with a confronting and complicated tale of consent and abuse, based on its lead actress’ own experiences in the movie industry.

Malaysia / Myanmar / Taiwan In Mandarin with English subtitles
103 minutes DCP
R16
Rape, sex scenes & offensive language

Director

Producer

Lin Sheng-wen
,
Molly Fang
,
Claudia Tseng
,
Andi Lim

Screenplay

Midi Z
,
Wu Ke-xi

Photography

Florian Zinke

Editors

Matthieu Laclau
,
Tsai Yann-shan

Production designer

Kuo Chih-da

Costume designers

Jelly Chung
,
Chan Cheuk Ming

Music

Lim Giong

With

Wu Ke-xi (Nina Wu)
,
Kimi Hsia (Girl #3)
,
Vivian Sung (Kiki)
,
Shih Ming-shuai (director)
,
Huang Shang-ho (director’s assistant)

Festivals

Cannes (Un Certain Regard) 2019

An actress loses her grip on reality shooting the film that will make her a star in Midi Z’s uncompromising, noirish #MeToo-inspired tale.

Nina Wu was written by its luminous star [Wu Ke-xi], inspired by her own experiences as a young actress and by the Harvey Weinstein scandal – much of which happened in plush hotel rooms not far from the Cannes theater where this Un Certain Regard title had its debut. And as the first directly #MeToo-related narrative to play in this context, it is a deeply challenging one… as it resists, even contradicts the simplification of its central act of violation into an obviously empowering, triumph-over-adversity arc. One of the basic tenets of #MeToo is that we listen to women; but what if they do not say exactly what #MeToo needs to hear?...

Z and Wu Kexi’s bravery in refusing to neaten and de-clutter an impossibly untidy issue should not be underestimated… When this story finally resolves, it is not on an uplifting ‘the truth will set you free’ note… [but with] a more difficult question about these experiences than we are perhaps ready to hear: When the world tells you you have nothing to be ashamed of (because you don’t), what do you do with all the shame?” — Jessica Kiang, Variety