Archive of films Most Distant Course / Zui yao yuan de ju li

Taiwan
2007, 114 min

Section: Another View
Year: 2008

The film follows three characters who liberate themselves from their ties to the world around them in order to discover themselves. Unlike other films with similar subject matter, however, The Most Distant Course avoids perfunctory or simplistic solutions. The film’s impressiveness bases itself on the balance between minimalist introspective scenes and imaginative emotional confrontations.

Synopsis

Parallel narrations show three different characters, initially introduced within their relations to their surroundings but later heading towards isolation. Isolation nonetheless is not branded as something negative, but instead constitutes a space for the characters’ self-reflection and painful discovery of who they are. In this way the film follows the wanderings of a sound engineer whose girlfriend has left him, a girl caught up with her married boss, and a psychiatrist who offers outlandish though highly effective practical treatment. In contrast with other films that observe their characters’ process of self-recognition, The Most Distant Course avoids perfunctory or simplistic solutions. The balanced combination of introspective scenes shot with minimalistic restraint and imaginative, emotive confrontation results in a compelling work, the effect of which is further enhanced with the shrewd use of cinematic devices, particularly the audio component, where the impressive film score is created from recordings made by the sound engineer in the story.

About the director

Lin Jing-Jie (b. 1967, Kaohsiung, Taiwan) puts his talents to use in his literary work and in film and theatre direction. A recognised artist of distinction in these areas, Lin’s books and films have won him a number of prestigious awards. He makes both feature films and documentaries and switches between digital and classic material. His filmography includes a number of short and medium-length films, of which his part of the collection of film stories Bad Girl Trilogy (E’nu lie chuan, 1998), which received a Special Jury Award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival, and Street Survivor (2006), declared the best domestic film at Taiwan’s Golden Horse festival, deserve a special mention. The Most Distant Course is Lin’s big-screen feature-film debut.

Contacts

Joint Entertainment International Inc.
421-6F Guang Fu South Road, 11074, Taipei
Taiwan
Tel: +886 227 206 007
Fax: +886 227 588 516
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.j-ent.com.tw

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About the film

Color, 35 mm

Section:	Another View

Director:	Lin Jing-Jie
Screenplay:	Lin Jing-Jie
Dir. of Photography:	Yang Wei-Han, Song Wen-Zhong
Music:	Zheng Jie-Ren
Editor:	Chen Xiao-Dong
Producer:	Lin Jing-Jie
Production:	Qixia Films
Cast:	Kwai Lun-Mei, Mo Zi-Yi, Jiz Xiao-Guo
Contact:	Joint Entertainment International Inc.

www:	www.wretch.cc/blog/Distant2000