Somewhere I Have Never Travelled 帶我去遠方 2009

In a small secluded town by the sea, there lives two lonely youths filled with angst and uncertainty. The Ah-Guei, her world has always been different from others. Her eyes tell her that there are no greens or reds in the world. The only person she looks up to is her cousin, Ah-Xian. Ah-Xian has a big world map and a whole bookshelf of traveling guides. He takes Ah-Guei on imaginary journeys out of their little town, into a world full of wonders. Yet, the Ah-Xian harbors a secret, as he has come to realize that the only objects of his desires have always been people of his own sex. Ah-Guei and Ah-Xian dream and plan that one day when they can fly away to a place where there will be no more loneliness or angst.

From China Post:

Inside every soul, there is a secret journey some people say, and this statement definitively applies to Ah-Guei (played by Li Yun Yun/李芸妘 in her early years, and by Yo Hsin/游昕 as a teenager), the lead character of “Somewhere I have Never Traveled.”

Because she is color blind, her world has always been different from others. Her eyes tell her that there are no greens or reds in this world. Due to this difference, she is treated differently by others.

The only person she looks up to is her elder cousin, Ah-Xian (Lin Bo-hong/林柏宏). Ah-Xian has a big world-map and a whole bookshelf of travel guides. He takes Ah-Guei on imaginary journeys out of their little town, into a world full of wonders. When she tells him about her condition, he consoles her by saying that every one is different in some way. Although he doesn’t tell her at the time, the Ah-Xian also has a secret that makes him different from others.

In a small secluded town by the sea, these two lonely youths give each other company and support. Ah-Guei and Ah-Xian dream and plan about that one day when they can fly away to a place where there will be no more loneliness or sorrow. A world where they are forever happy.

Ah-Xian dreams about going off to New York with his love. And Ah-Guei dreams about sailing to a little island in the Pacific, where everyone would no longer feel different, because everyone there would be color-blind, just like her. Both of them feel as if they are completely isolated from the world.

When asked why she chose this story as her first movie, director Fu Tianyu explained that she came across the idea while reading a guy’s assignment. “I wanted to depict the inner thoughts and the perspective of a color-blind girl. I had a strong affection toward the script after I finished it.”

Around that time, Tianyu also received a grant form the government for young directors. “With my considerably attraction to the script and assistantship from the government, I agreed to give myself a try to direct the move for the very first time in my life. Taiwan’s unique circumstances of politics and history remind me of the girl and guy who are eager to see for their self recognitions in the movie.”

Not only is this film a directorial debut for Tianyu, but it is also the first film for all three lead actors. They have had no previous experience of performing on screen. According to Tianyu, it took a year to find the right persons for the right characters and it took another year to train them. “I had to create any possible opportunities to make them get together. They had to be together to the point that they could interact with one another with a sense of intimacy and unfamiliarity.”

In an exclusive interview, the three young actors admitted that they all like to travel. Lin especially wants to go to Europe. In the movie, he speaks some English, and recites the complete poem by E. E. Cummings, “Somewhere I have Never Traveled,” the source of the film’s title. Director Tianyu feels the film will appeal to international audiences because they can relate to the issues presented.

The film’s premier, held on Wednesday in Taipei, was hosted by Executive Producer Wu Nien-jen, and attended by family and friends of the actors, as well as by former Premier Su Jeng-tsang and his wife. After penning his first screenplay in 1978, Wu has since written more than 90 screenplays that were made into films, and has become one of the leading artists of the Taiwan New Cinema of the 1980s.

The music accompaniment to the film is by Chen Chien-Chi, and the melodious piano music helps to fill some slow moments in the file. The ending is a bit abrupt, something the director says is intentional; “I leave it up to the viewer to imagine the ending.” Will they achieve their dreams? We don’t get the answer from this film, but the director does not rule out a possible sequel.