''18'' is a 1993 Taiwanese
experimental film
Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that rigorously re-evaluates cinematic conventions and explores non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many experimental films, parti ...
directed by
Ho Ping
Ho Ping (; born 1958) is a Taiwanese film director.
Born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, he studied chemical engineering at Tunghai University before moving to the United States to earn an MFA from Syracuse University. Upon graduation, Ho returned to Taiw ...
, written by Ho Ping and
Kuo Cheng, based on Kuo Cheng's 1991 short story "God's Dice" (上帝的骰子).
The title refers to a popular Taiwanese gambling game played with 4 dice in a rice bowl, with the highest combination (called "18") containing 2 sixes and 2 of any identical number not six (i.e. 1166, 2266, 3366, 4466, and 5566).
Cast
*
Wu Hsing-kuo
Wu Hsing-kuo () is a Taiwanese actor of the silver screen and theater, known for both his performance of complex movie roles as much as for his innovative adaptations of Western classics into traditional Peking Opera.
Wu was trained in classical ...
as "Weirdo", probably a second-generation immigrant from mainland China who is a little confused about his identity.
* Lin Chi-lou as Weirdo's wife.
* Lin Chia-chen as Weirdo's young daughter who is too mature for her age.
* Lu Hsiao-fen as Mingzhu, a convenience store owner.
* Lu Hsiao-fen as Ah Kiu, a hotel owner.
*
Tou Chung-hua as Ah Hai.
* Chen Hui-lou as Ah Kiu's old husband who came from mainland China around 1949.
*
Sze Yu
Sze Yu (born 30 September 1962) is a Chinese-born Australian actor, television presenter and retired badminton player.
As a badminton player, he represented both Hong Kong and Australia. In the 1980s, he was one of the top players in the world. ...
as Wu Sheng, an illegal immigrant from mainland China.
Awards and nominations
The film won
International Federation of Film Critics Prize during the 1993
Thessaloniki International Film Festival
The Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF), organized by the cultural institution of the same name under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture, is held every November in Thessaloniki.TIFF features international competition secti ...
in
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
, Greece.
External links
* {{IMDb title, 0126181, Shi ba
Films directed by Ho Ping
Hokkien-language films
1990s Mandarin-language films
Films with screenplays by Kuo Cheng
Films shot in Taiwan
Films set in Taiwan
1990s avant-garde and experimental films
Taiwanese avant-garde and experimental films