Between Life and Death

EVERYSTORIES EVERYMOVIES ALL AT ONCE

In this universe, I’ve achieved nothing. In every universe, he loves her. Every page turned, every frame played—we enter your private universe: vast, boundless, infinite. In 2022, Everything Everywhere All at Once took pop culture by storm, flinging us across chaotic multiverses only to land us back in the deeply personal struggles of an Asian American family. The 2023 Taipei International Book Exhibition adopted “The Multiverse” as its central theme. To TAAZE, every reader’s private reading list is its own Ma-verse. And for this occasion, Giloo has curated 10 films to join the multiverse spin. Universe spin, timeline split— who says it can’t be a resistance?

Take Off｜eslite Annivesary Film Festival 

The word “Take Off” carries dozens of meanings—departure, revelation, flight, transformation. Depending on context, it shifts and expands, just like life itself, which rarely conforms to a single shape. We’ve selected ten films, each capturing a different form of transformation. Some tell stories of letting go—of setting off alone on a pilgrimage or retreating into the solitude of the forest. Others follow companions on creative journeys, documenting their explorations along the way. Some films bring us back to the uncertainty of a world shaken by a virus—where vaccines and rapid tests posed impossible questions, and the path forward in a post-pandemic world came without instructions. In these moments, a bit of fantasy in the everyday—or a drink-fueled moment of self-reflection—might just offer clarity. And the journey of transformation doesn’t end with life itself. What do we leave behind? What do we carry with us? Eventually, we arrive at heaven’s door—and perhaps, rebirth.

Friends in isolation 

The world is too ugly. Even without testing positive, I still want to isolate myself. Isolation takes you, yourself—as your own company—and some good films. Return to the way of living alone. Remember what it feels like to be alive. To deal with the things you don’t like, sometimes all you need to do is deal with yourself. You’re carrying baggage—of course you are. But maybe it’s time to sort through it. Take only what you love. Leave the rest behind. After all, life is long. If you’re going to carry heavy things, make sure they matter. I can’t promise you’ll like these films. But I like them. And I like the feeling of watching a film alone.

Documentaries decorated with sugarcoating.

As a comic artist whose work takes root in personal experience and carries the qualities of a novel, I often find myself searching for traces of the narrator within other people’s stories. No matter the genre, the people, events, and objects that appear in a story are never entirely “fictional.” From the central plot or a pivotal incident, to something as subtle as a character’s temperament or quirks—these nuances often stem from the long-term observation and quiet accumulation of a sensitive soul. In this light, film is, in many ways, a series of sugar-coated documentaries. They’ve been made sweet and easy to digest—but if you truly chew on them, you’ll come to realize: beneath that coating lies a core made up of the very life that unfolds around us, every single day.

To be or not to be.

Life is full of choices—some big, some small. We choose one path and let go of another, or sometimes, we hesitate... Some choices are mere passing moments, while others shape our lives forever. As actors, much of what we do is also about making choices. Try this in one rehearsal, try that in the next. Hesitation happens too. There’s no right or wrong—only whether it works, moment to moment. Some choices come from instinct, some from reason... Ah! To be or not to be. In this grown-up world where there are no perfect answers, maybe that’s what makes being alive so endlessly fascinating.

After death

2023/3/31-2023/4/9 期間限定，兌換觀影序號【DEATH】免費觀看片單 30 天！