Chuang Ling

An in-depth documentary on the reclusive Taiwanese artist Huang Hua-Cheng and his avant-garde legacy. Commissioned by the Taipei Fine Arts Museum for the retrospective exhibition: “An Open Ending: Huang Hua-Cheng” (2020).

A pregnant woman awakes at the start of a day. The camera invites the viewers along with a placid, light-feeling view, as she goes about her day, taking into view unhurried pedestrians, tricycles, a traditional market place, and a plain city still unencumbered by high rise buildings.

This calm, family-centered film documents the first 18 months of the life of the director’s eldest daughter. The film follows the young baby’s faltering footsteps, as she takes account of the wide world through her tiny body, and preserves the cherished moments of the family.

Originally written by HUANG Hua-cheng in 1966, the script centres on the dialogue between a couple sitting in the audience of a play. 51 years later, original actors CHUANG Ling and LIU Ying-shang are invited back to the theatre to recreate the groundbreaking original.

Starring Chuang Ling and with cinematography by Hu Qi-Yuan, The Joy of Life consists of closeup shots of technically speaking only four simple gestures of pinching on a sugar cube, drinking coffee, lighting a match, and smoking a cigarette, and it is without any lines or specific plots.