Mourning glory: Taiwanese director Tom Lin Shu-yu channels his grief into art
Lin’s new film, which follows the healing processes of two bereaved people, is not only close to his heart but has also struck a chord with viewers
Tom Lin Shu-yu lost his wife of 12 years to disease in July 2012. Revered for his first two features, Winds of September (2008) and Starry Starry Night (2011), and widely regarded as one of the leading figures of his generation, the Taiwanese filmmaker began to channel his grief into a screenplay on the 107th day after his spouse’s passing.
That story has now formed the basis of his new film, Zinnia Flower, which follows the healing processes of two mourners – respectively played by Karena Lam Ka-yan and Shih Chin-hang (aka Stone, lead guitarist of pop-rock band Mayday) – in the 100 days following their partners’ deaths in a car accident.
The film premiered in July at the Taipei Film Festival before opening in Taiwanese cinemas in early October. On top of festival appearances in Busan, Vancouver and Tokyo, it has also garnered three nominations for Taiwan’s Golden Horse awards, to be announced on November 21.
The high-profile release of Zinnia Flower, which has seen Lin appear in numerous meet-the-audience sessions and talk to more than a few media outlets, prompts the question: Why did he subject himself to a project that inevitably reminded him of the death of his wife on a daily basis?
“Um …” Lin takes a long, long pause. “During promotional duties, this incident would of course be mentioned. But it was something that I knew would happen when I decided to make this film. So I had already prepared myself mentally to face this.”