Behind the Scenes with Director, Su Chao-Pin
Taiwanese director Su Chao-Pin talks to Scott Murphy about his most recent effort, “Silk.”
HK Magazine: Describe “Silk” in three sentences or less.
Su Chao-Pin: It’s a story about someone capturing the first ghost in the world. The one who captures that ghost also becomes a ghost. Because when the ghost is alive, he finds that the ghost’s life is so beautiful, wonderful and peaceful.
HK: How did you come up with a this story? I mean, you’re the guy who did a movie on cab drivers and the horror film, “Double Vision”…
SCP: When I was a kid, my mother would always tell me that I should never pee outside. She would say that “there might be someone sitting right where you’re peeing.” Personally, for me, if there’s something I don’t see, I don’t believe it. But my mother does believe there are spirits. Sometimes I would argue with her. I would say, “If there are ghosts, why can’t someone in the world catch them?” Then we could take a look at it. Then the whole idea came to me. If someone caught a ghost, what would happen?
HK: What do you want audiences to take away from a film like this?
SCP: I want audiences to learn about death. It’s not the only solution for your painful life. The meaning of life is to be happy. When good times come, they come. Don’t try to know what death is, because that time will come.
HK: After a film like this, what do you want to tackle next?
SCP: I just want to do a comedy, a nonsense comedy, a no-brainer comedy. My directorial debut was “Better Than Sex,” a crazy comedy. It talks about what’s better than sex. There’s no such thing in the world! I’m kidding. Love is better than sex.
Read our movie review of Silk here