The Chronicles of Libidoists
破浪男女
The Chronicles of Libidoists probably stands as one of Taiwan’s most controversial cinematic works of the past decade. Acclaimed director Yang Ya-che crafts an odyssey through Taipei’s erotic underworld, where carnal obsessions become manifestations of profound emotional hunger. Despite its graphic imagery, this is ultimately – as Yang insists – a devastating love story. Each character’s sexual compulsion, from fetishism to reckless abandon, stems from love’s absence, transforming desire into both prison and salvation.
In a radical reinterpretation of fairy tale conventions, Yang reimagines The Little Mermaid with a gender-fluid twist, establishing the film’s central thesis: all erotic pursuit masks deeper existential thirst. The narrative weaves together four fractured souls: Lu, a trans woman chasing physical transformation in search of wholeness; Queenie, an heiress substituting kinbaku’s intricate bonds for her arranged marriage to a gay man; a Hong Kong dominatrix nursing heartbreak through control; and Single Pa, a culinary artist using gastronomy to compensate for familial collapse.
Their stories collide in Taipei’s neon-lit alleyways, where Yang exposes the raw nerve of modern intimacy – how we weaponize sex to fill emotional voids. The film’s technical audacity serves its philosophical core: beneath the shocking imagery lies a tender meditation on how contemporary urban isolation distorts human connection.
YANG YA-CHE
Bursting onto the scene with his debut feature Orz Boyz! (2008), which became Taiwan’s second-highest-grossing domestic film that year, Yang quickly established himself as a vital voice in Taiwanese cinema. His sophomore effort, Girlfriend, Boyfriend (2012), earned widespread critical praise, winning the Audience Choice Award and Best Actress (for Gwei Lun-mei) at the 49th Golden Horse Awards. Yang reached new heights with The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful (2017), which claimed the Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film – Taiwan’s highest cinematic honor. His latest and most provocative work, The Chronicles of Libidoists, marks his fourth feature.
Fri Apr 25, 2025 | 21:00
Stadtkino
Red Lotus 2025
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Taiwan 2024
105 Min | Color | Chinese, Minnan with English subtitles
Directed by YANG Ya-che
Screenplay YANG Ya-che, CHIANG Yu-chu Cinematography CHEN Ko-chin Editing CHEN Chun-Hung, LAI Yung-hsuan Sound CHEN Chun-hung Music Hans CHANG, Fabian CHANG
With WU Kang-ren, LIU Chu-ping, Alisia LIANG, Will OR
World sales Distribution Workshop
The Chronicles of Libidoists © Distribution Workshop