Director Julian Chou of Blind Love, alongside producer and lead actress Ariel Lin, visited Hong Kong Asian Film Festival to share their creative journey with audience!
During the post-screening discussion, the director revealed that upon first reading the original story, she was so astonished that she couldn't sleep. The short story encapsulates the complex emotions, dependency, jealousy and secrets within a relationship, deeply resonating with her and prompting her to adapt it for film. She emphasised, 'there exists a group of people in this world whose stories deserve to be seen, whose emotions deserve to be understood.' Subjects concerning minorities are as important and should not be neglected. Even though it is much easier to attract investors with a mainstream topic, she believes creativity should never be abandoned simply because a subject is niche.
Lin added that while shooting mainstream works brought joy, the stories of niche communities deserved greater attention. She described niche cinema as 'delving into one's inner self, posing questions to oneself'. The film marks her debut as a producer. Initially, she was only involved in production, after revising the script, the director believed that she was the perfect actress for Shu-Yi. This led to her dual role as producer and lead actress, infusing the work with greater personal emotion and creativity. Lin also shared that actors and their characters could not be entirely separated, they shared similarities yet differed. She admitted she was sloppier in household matters, whereas Shuyi was a diligent, meticulous woman who personally handled everything – their most significant contrast.
The director mentioned that the final scene was originally conceived indoors but was later relocated to the seaside. Despite not being able to see, this change grants her greater freedom. The director deliberately modified the colour palette to convey the sentiment that 'the world remains beautiful even if one cannot see it with eyes.' mirroring the character's emotional liberation. Regarding the theme of love, the director believes that 'love is blind,' sometimes resembling an uncontrollable illness. Lin also reflected on a line from the script of her earlier work, The Little Fairy, 'love doesn't necessarily go where it ought to, but where it wants to.' When love arrives, we simply cannot control it.
At the end, the director concluded, 'watching a film is a process of honestly confronting oneself.' She hopes more audience could watch the film and prompt more understanding.
