The grandson of Kuomintang (KMT) members, who fled mainland China for Taiwan during the civil war of the 1940s, has been bestowed with the honor of directing the first Chinese-language film to ever appear in the Panorama section of the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival.
Speaking prior to the film's world premiere at South Korea's Busan International Film Festival held in October, Niu-Chenze (also known as Doze Niu) said to the Wall Street Journal in late September that he wants "the audience to walk away with a stronger desire to learn more about those who are different from them."
The 48-year-old director finally explored his heritage for the creation of "Paradise in Service," as his previous two films, the popular "Monga" (2010) and "Love" (2012), were of the crime and romance genres, respectively.
The film depicts the experience of a young Taiwanese soldier who is stationed on Taiwan's Kinman Island between 1969 and 1972. The young conscript finds himself guarding a military-sanctioned brothel two kilometers off the coast of China--the island was a key aspect of Taiwan's defense.
Niu uses the movie to examine the warring emotions of soldiers who were faced with the prospect of standing in opposition to an enemy that consists of people who form part of their own national origins. Relatives and friends from a place that was once home to their families could have been among the mainland Chinese army.
Described by the Wall Street Journal as a "coming-of-age drama," "Paradise in Service" is the third time that Niu has worked with actor Ethan Ruan, who plays the lead character.
Two of the film's other performers, Chinese actors Chen Jianbin and Regina Wan, won the Best Supporting Actor and Actress awards at November's Golden Horse award ceremony--dubbed the Chinese-language Oscars--with Wan winning for her portrayal as a sex worker.