Get Reel | Film review: Paradise In Service is a coming-of-age story in a military brothel
Writer-director-producer Doze Niu Chen-zer's Paradise in Service brings to light something considered an open secret in certain circles: that from 1951 up until 1990, the Taiwanese military operated brothels for the use of their men.
Starring: Ethan Ruan Ching-tien, Chen Jianbin, Regina Wan Qian
Director: Doze Niu Chen-zer
Category: IIB (Putonghua and Taiwanese)
Writer-director-producer Doze Niu Chen-zer's Paradise in Service brings to light something considered an open secret in certain circles: that from 1951 up until 1990, the Taiwanese military operated brothels for the use of their men.
Collectively designated as Unit 831 (and given the motto of "Servicing the Armed Forces, Boosting Morale"), these establishments were mostly situated on outlying islands looked upon as the first line of defence against the Communist Chinese.
The Kinmen (aka Quemoy) branch was nicknamed "military paradise", and this provides the colourful backdrop for a young man's coming of age while serving in the Taiwanese military between 1969 and 1972.
Appearing in his third film directed by Niu (after 2010's Monga and 2012's Love), Ethan Ruan Ching-tien once again delivers a strong performance. This time he plays Pao, an army conscript from southern Taiwan who's selected shortly after arriving on Kinmen to be a part of the elite Sea Dragons amphibious force by its tough senior NCO, sergeant major Zhang (mainland actor Cheng Jianbin).
But after the soldier's less than stellar swimming abilities are exposed during training, Pao — who is morally upright and admits to still being a virgin — is redeployed to Unit 831, where his duties include helping to maintain order in the brothel and keeping the prostitutes' rooms clean.
