The Island That All Flow By

Ching-lin Chan
2016-04-29

6
97 min

What is a mature relationship? How many types of family structures are there? Age, Class, Gender and Survival continue to distort the facets of emotional relationships among humans. I like to think that Taiwanese are like desperate fishes in troubled waters, struggling to get to the water surface for a breath of fresh air. In 2013, Taiwan bids goodbye to the toll booth system as it launches a new electrical device called eTag. With the new system, Chia-wen, a middle-aged divorcee working in a toll booth on the freeway, is about to be laid off. Her financial burden increases when her teenage son is charged with sexual assault. At this difficult time, Chia-wen meets Chih-hao, who promises to help in exchange for sex. Standing at a crossroads in her life, Chia-wen is uncertain which step to take next.