Starring: Vivian Sung, Bruce, Megan Lai, Vivian Chow, Marcus Chang
Language: Mandarin with English and Chinese subtitles
Release date: 4th September 2014
Following the massively popular You’re The Apple of My Eye (那些年，我們一起追的女孩), Café. Waiting. Love is the latest film helmed by bestselling Taiwanese novelist Giddens Ko.
Loosely based on the characters and plot of Ko’s novel of the same title, Café. Waiting. Love depicts the experience of Si-ying (Vivian Sung), a college freshman who works at the café of her dreams. It is in this café that she meets the mysterious lady boss(Vivian Chow), talented barista Abusi (Megan Lai) as well as Ze-Yu (Marcus Chang), the good-looking and gentle college senior whom she falls in love with.
As Si-ying begins on her journey to win Ze-yu’s affections, she also meets Ah-tuo (Bruce) – an outgoing and seemingly foolish young man who is the complete opposite of Ze-Yu. Having lost quite a few bets to his friends, Ah-tuo goes around the college wearing nothing but a striped bikini and roller skates with a large cabbage he fondly refers to as his pet.
The idea of a dusty cabbage being dragged about on a leash by a bikini clad college boy may be absurd to many, but it is only one of the many ludicrous elements of the film. With the same wacky and idiosyncratic style found in his novels, screenwriter and producer Giddens Ko weaves the ridiculous and realistic together into a film that, despite its absurdity, would remain relatable for most audiences.
Café. Waiting. Love may seem like a simple film about a schoolyard romance, but its complex layers and plot twist proves otherwise. While the unexpected ending may disappoint fans of the original novel, it serves as an ingenious way to provide closure to the many subplots and questions posed by the film itself. The film is further complemented by the moving performances of its main cast, many of whom are fresh faces on the silver screen.
With its elements of comedy and romance, Café. Waiting. Love is a roller coaster ride of laughter and tears that does not disappoint despite its mix of seemingly inane and incompatible characters and incidents. True to its name, Café. Waiting. Love is a film that is definitely worth watching, and waiting for.
Image credit: Shaw Organization