3. Cape No. 7
Taiwanese romantic comedy Cape No. 7 was a huge success in 2008. Grossing over US$13.8 million and becoming the second-biggest earner in the island's movie history behind Titanic , this musical drama is an undisputed miracle. Cape No. 7 was the first full-length movie directed by Wei Te-Sheng, and its two leading actors Van Fan and Chie Tanaka had never previously taken a leading role in any movie. Some of the supporting characters were not even professional actors, but Wei Te-Sheng pulled off the feat and presents a great story full of roles and plots.
Before Cape No. 7, Wei Te-Sheng was a nobody, living with a visionary idea on about 30 US cents a day. His own life is a Hollywood drama in itself. But what makes Cape No. 7 special is not only the music and romance, but its melodramatic angle and time span and the island folk flavor, as well as its connecting threads woven around the history and the fortunes of a group of "nobodies" or "normal people". Many Taiwanese will find something of themselves in the film. Cape No. 7 won 6 awards at the 2008 Golden Horse Awards and will compete in the race for Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Oscar Ceremony. The picture is a reflection of the life and times of the whole of Taiwan, advocating tolerance between people no matter who they are or where they are from. Cape No. 7 was 2008's soul soup for a generation with a global vision.
