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Old Fox (film)

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Old Fox
Theatrical release poster
Chinese name
Chinese老狐狸
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinlǎo hú li
Directed byHsiao Ya-chuan
Written by
  • Hsiao Ya-chuan[1]
  • Chan I-wen[1]
Produced byMichael Wang[2]
Starring
CinematographyLin Tse-chung[1]
Edited byChu-Chun Tao
Music byChris Hou[1]
Production
companies
  • BIT Production Co., Ltd.
  • Tomorrow Together Capital
  • Bossdom Digiinnovation Co., Ltd.
  • Toei Video Co., Ltd. (Japan)
  • Angelic-Founder Co., Ltd.
  • Dream Mall Showtime Cinema Co., Ltd.
  • Sky Films Entertainment Co., Ltd.
  • Backer-Founder Co., Ltd.
Distributed by
  • Sky Films Entertainment Co., Ltd.[3]
  • Shine Time Entertainment Co., Ltd.[3]
Release dates
Running time
112 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Taiwan
  • Japan
Languages

Old Fox (Chinese: 老狐狸, romanized: lǎo hú li) is a 2023 drama film directed by Hsiao Ya-chuan.[4] The film follows a young boy who befriends his landlord, nicknamed Old Fox, and tells the story of Taiwan's rapidly changing society of the late 1980s.[5] The cast includes Bai Run-yin, Liu Kuan-ting, Akio Chen, Mugi Kadowaki, and Eugenie Liu. The film is dedicated to the director's mother.[6]

The film premiered on 27 October 2023 at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival. It was released in Taiwan on 24 November 2023. At the 60th Golden Horse Awards, the film received seven nominations and won a leading four awards: Best Director, Best Original Film Score, Best Makeup & Costume Design and Best Supporting Actor (for Akio Chen).[6] The film was chosen as the Taiwanese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.[7][8]

Plot

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In 1989, a time in which Taiwanese society is experiencing rapid change, Liao Tai-Lai is a single father who works in a restaurant. He and his 11-year-old son Liao Jie, the film's protagonist, live together in a rental house. They work hard to save money in the hope of buying a house of their own. Although socially disadvantaged, his father is a considerate man who is dedicated to his duties and strives to earn an honest living. Although buying a home is his father's goal, this hope creates a stronger driving force in his son Liao Jie.

One day by chance, the boy meets his landlord, Boss Xie, also known as the "Old Fox". A clever and cunning shopping mall tycoon, Boss Xie sees the reflection of his own past in the boy. He teaches the boy how to become a strong man and how to leverage inequality to succeed. A ruthless realist, Boss Xie's approach to life begins to influence the boy's mindset. How will Liao Jie, who suffers from frustration and bullying, let Old Fox's insightful comments affect his state of mind and behavior? For the boy, he was forced to grow up much more quickly than most of his peers. The figure he looked up to was always his hardworking father. Unexpectedly, the appearance of Boss Xie challenges his father.

The boy faces a choice between poverty and wealth, between the values of honesty and deceit. How will a boy who yearns to become stronger and long for wealth choose? Will they choose to be loyal to their conscience or bow to reality? This question divides the father and son into a conflict between the harsh realities of the world and the simplicity of its traditions.

The film presents a child's transformation from following the rules to gradually crossing the moral boundaries. As time unfolds, the audience sees Liao Jie's fear when he first met Boss Xie, to his later acceptance, and finally to his self-doubt and return to the values of his father.

Cast

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Production

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Old Fox was produced by BIT Production Co., Ltd. with Tomorrow Together Capital; Bossdom Digiinnovation Co., Ltd.; Toei Video Co., Ltd. (Japan); Angelic-Founder Co., Ltd.; Dream Mall Showtime Cinema Co., Ltd.; Sky Films Entertainment Co., Ltd.; Backer-Founder Co., Ltd. It was executive produced by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Osaka Fumiko, and Elisa Y.H. Lin.[3][2]

Release

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Old Fox was selected to be screened in the World Focus (Taiwan Cinema Renaissance) section at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival,[1] where the film had its world premiere on 27 October 2023. It was theatrically released in Taiwan on 24 November 2023.[9]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Golden Horse Awards 25 November 2023 Best Director Hsiao Ya-chuan Won [10]
Best Supporting Actor Akio Chen Won
Best Makeup & Costume Design Wang Chih-cheng, Shirley Kao Won
Best Original Film Score Chris Hou Won
Best Supporting Actress Eugenie Liu Nominated [11]
Best Art Direction Wang Chih-cheng, You Li-wen Nominated
Best Original Film Song "Fledgling", Composer: Chris Hou; Lyrics: Hsu Hui-ting; Performer: Power Station Nominated

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Taiwan Cinema Renaissance 2023". Tokyo International Film Festival. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Virtual Production of OLD FOX". Taiwan Creative Content Fest. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "老狐狸". taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw (in Chinese). Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  4. ^ Hsu, Daniel (30 December 2023). "金馬 60 入圍 7 項、獲獎 4 項大贏家！深度解析《老狐狸》背後所暗藏的深意及幕後故事". GQ (in Chinese). Taiwan. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  5. ^ Wong, Silvia (16 May 2023). "Cannes 2023: hot projects from Taiwan". Screen International. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b 李承陽 (30 November 2023). "《老狐狸》金馬獎後票房翻二倍 單日票房超越《驚奇隊長2》" [The box office of "Old Fox" tripled after the Golden Horse Awards, surpassing "Captain Marvel 2" in one day]. China Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  7. ^ Wang, Hsin-yu; Wu, Kuan-hsien (14 August 2024). "Taiwan submits 'OLD FOX' for 97th Academy Awards". Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  8. ^ Merican, Sara (16 August 2024). "Family Drama 'Old Fox' Selected As Taiwan's International Oscar Submission". Deadline. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  9. ^ Hsiao, Angeline; Chen, Yuna (25 November 2023). "《老狐狸》寫實刻畫80年代末期的台灣社會變遷！「老實父子」劉冠廷、白潤音如何面對人性的黑暗與掙扎？". Harper's Bazaar (in Chinese). Taiwan. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  10. ^ Frater, Patrick (25 November 2023). "'Stonewalling' and 'Old Fox' Take Honors at Taiwan's Golden Horse Film Awards". Variety. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  11. ^ "金馬獎第60屆 完整入圍名單[影] | 娛樂". 中央社 CNA (in Chinese). 31 December 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
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