Fantasy World movie review: Joseph Chang, Lee Kang-sheng in moral drama with muddled view of adultery and sexual assault

2/5 stars

Worthy subject matter doesn’t always result in a worthwhile movie, and that is the case with Freddy Tang Fu-jui’s stodgy legal drama Fantasy World, officially called Fantasy·World.

The questionable topic is Taiwan’s baffling stance on adultery, which was a criminal offence until just last year and treated the extramarital party in the affair as equally guilty of any wrongdoing as the married philanderer.

In a case that unfolds when adultery was still punishable by up to a year in prison, successful lawyer Zhang (Joseph Chang Hsiao-chuan) learns that a former client, Tang (Lee Kang-sheng, a regular in Tsai Ming-liang films), the owner of a prestigious cram school, has been accused of sexually assaulting a female student (Wang Yu-ping).

Racked by guilt over his part in Tang’s acquittal in a similar case years earlier, Zhang agrees to take the case, only for it to stir up painful memories of his own involvement with another of Tang’s students back then, Xie Chen (Cammy Chiang Yi-jung).

It soon becomes apparent that Tang is a serial offender who has been wooing, deflowering, and then discarding impressionable teenage girls for years. He is wealthy, powerful, and largely unfazed by the accusations against him, confident that his accusers can either be bought off, or will be too scared to speak out publicly.

Much to Zhang’s frustration, this proves to be true. His latest client is terrified about appearing in court, and the prospect of going to prison, while her blue-collar father (Yu An-shun) is more concerned about the shame the trial will bring upon his family than the well-being of his daughter.

First-time writer-director Freddy Tang jumps back and forth between the two timelines, set 13 years apart, with head-spinning regularity and precious few visual or other stylistic markers to help keep his audience oriented. Pretty much the only clue as to when events are taking place is which poor young girl is being violated.

However, the film also suggests that there is little to distinguish one victim from the next, certainly in Tang’s eyes, which only adds to the confusion.

Moreover, the burgeoning romance between Zhang and Xie Chen is itself somewhat awkward and uncomfortable. While their ages are much closer, she is still in high school while he is a rookie at his law firm. Also, he first wins Xie Chen’s trust by lying to her, falsely claiming to be a family friend.

Presenting their courtship alongside Tang’s own duplicity only further muddies the waters of a story where right and wrong should perhaps be far more black and white.

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