A bitter-sweet comedy set in Taipei. It focuses on Chen, a woman in her forties who has to put up with a rebellious teenage daughter, an unfaithful husband and a helpless mother-in-law. Chen is however not alone in her silent despair and boredom. Eight other people who lead similar lives try to break out of the pattern using the Lonely Hearts Club. Chen meets Lone, a young office clerk with a mysterious smile and an intriguing and ambiguous background. Is he interested in her? Will it come to romance? Or is her vivid imagination vainly trying to escape from her cheerless existence? Film-maker Yee is very sensitive to the emotions of each character, but also sees the absurdity of their behaviour. Taipei has a leading role: the city is full of energy and creativity, but is also treacherous and ugly. The director had the idea for the film when he was sitting beside a couple in the bus. The woman suddenly started shaking her head wildly and the man took her head in his hands to stop her. The woman protested: ‘I only wanted to see whether my earrings would fall out.’ Yee made this the opening shot of the film, but the sequence did not survive the cutting table. According to Yee the scene did however determine the tone of the film.
