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Yakushi Pearl Award (Lily LEE)

  • World Premiere

Special Programs < Taiwan: Movies on the Move, Classic and Contemporary >

Born to be Human

生而為人

Director: Lily NI (倪曜)

2021|Taiwan|105min|Language: Mandarin|Subtitles: English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese

Date Time Venue
3/11 Thu 18:15 ABC Hall
3/14 Sun 13:00 Umeda Burg 7: Theater7
Born to be Human
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Cast
Lily LEE (李玲葦)
Vera CHEN (陳雪甄)
YIN Jau Der (尹昭德)
Alice LEE (李璇)
Synopsis

YANG Shi-Nan (Lily LEE) is a 14-year-old boy who undergoes a metamorphosis without realising what is going on. It begins on a normal school day when he gets stomach cramps. After rushing to the toilet he notices that his urine is turning bloody red. Taken to a doctor he is diagnosed with “Disorders of Sex Development,” or intersex. Without consulting him, Shi-Nan’s parents decide to accept “sex reassignment surgery”, turning Shi-Nan into a female and changing her name to YANG Shi-Lan. The family moves to a new city to start a new life and it all seems to be going well as Shi-Lan blends in and even makes friends. It seems like the butterfly is about to break out of its chrysalis but can YANG Shi-Lan truly embrace her transformation?

This is the question that the film dangles in front of audiences as it shows them Shi-Lan’s feminisation whilst also keeping them aware of society’s discrimination and ultimately playing on the idea where a person’s identity is taken out of their hands and the psychological effects it can have on them.

[Jason MAHER]

Lily NI (倪曜)

Director Lily NI (倪曜)