Midi Z’s latest film, Nina Wu, is a Taiwanese psychological drama about an actress who gets her big break at a great cost. Ke-Xi Wu’s performance as Nina was very convincing, changing instantly during takes between Nina herself and the character Nina plays. These layers of performance were weaved all throughout the film, leaving the audience unsure whether the emotions Nina express are her own or her character’s.
As Nina begins the filming of her new role, we watch as her mental health and personal life deteriorate. Her mother falls ill and her father’s mental state gets worse and Nina struggles to move on from a secret ex-girlfriend. Along with that Nina suffers from PTSD from a horrifying event which is revealed later in the film. The sound design is impressive, which features a loud, disturbing fabric-y noise that appeared whenever Nina became anxious or stressed. Initially this sound confused but it all falls into place by the end.
The story was written by the lead star, Ke-Xi Wu, and is very much a story drawn from personal experiences as a young female actress. Nina Wu is very in tune with current MeToo movement in the film industry, and features a frighteningly realistic depiction of what happens behind closed casting doors. I found myself confronted by the sheer horror of the casting scene; it really does give viewers an understanding of the pain and violation that real life actresses have gone through at the hands of evil men. Midi Z’s decision not to add any music to the scene made the entire thing more realistic and frightening.
The movie left me feeling uncomfortable and disgusted, and while I struggled to understand it at times, it left me satisfied that I knew the truth by the very end.
Michael Oxley