The Abandoned

  • 128'
  • Taiwan
  • 2022

Sometimes, death can be a reason to continue living.

Police officer Wu Jie is about to take her own life when the body of a young Thai woman washes ashore. A cut-off finger and a missing heart only confirm that what looked like a tragic accident is a murder, and evidently a gruesome one. As the number of missing women climbs, Wu Jie braces herself, pushes her demons aside and together with her rookie colleague dives into the pattern of grisly clues and unreliable scraps of evidence. The awareness that the killer might strike again gives the investigation the tension of a torturous, incessant drip of water.

In the world of solving crime, a dramatic accident triggers strange meetings, reveals hidden social connections and implies a malign fatality. With The Abandoned, Taiwanese filmmaker Tseng Ying-ting takes us on a journey into the night in old-school noir fashion, seamlessly refreshing the familiar format with a duo of women officers, each of them working a double shift: crime-solving and self-searching. If they fail, the migrant women will stay invisible – abandoned, falling easy victim to all sorts of hunters.

 

Justine Maybank

  • 128'
  • Taiwan
  • 2022
Director
Tseng Ying-ting
Premiere
Dutch Premiere
Country of production
Taiwan
Year
2022
Festival Edition
IFFR 2023
Length
128'
Medium
DCP
Original title
查無此心
Languages
Mandarin, Thai
Producers
Tsai-Yang Tang, Ning Chang
Production Company
Renaissance Films Limited
Sales
Renaissance Films Limited
Screenplay
Yang Yang Yi-Chien, Lin Pin-Chun, Hsu Shih-Hui, Tseng Ying-ting
Cinematography
Stanley Liu, Liu Chen-Wei
Editor
Liao Ching-Song, Lee Chun Hong
Production Design
Yeh Tzu Wei
Sound Design
R.T Kao
Music
Yang Wan-Qian
Cast
Ning Chang, Ethan Juan
Director
Tseng Ying-ting
Premiere
Dutch Premiere
Country of production
Taiwan
Year
2022
Festival Edition
IFFR 2023
Length
128'
Medium
DCP
Original title
查無此心
Languages
Mandarin, Thai
Producers
Tsai-Yang Tang, Ning Chang
Production Company
Renaissance Films Limited
Sales
Renaissance Films Limited
Screenplay
Yang Yang Yi-Chien, Lin Pin-Chun, Hsu Shih-Hui, Tseng Ying-ting
Cinematography
Stanley Liu, Liu Chen-Wei
Editor
Liao Ching-Song, Lee Chun Hong
Production Design
Yeh Tzu Wei
Sound Design
R.T Kao
Music
Yang Wan-Qian
Cast
Ning Chang, Ethan Juan