Dear Tenant (2020 Movie Full) | Watch Online Movies | REVIEW : Dear Tenant: Fighting Social Stigma in Powerlessness. A crime drama blends with a touching story about a complex father-son relationship.
A number of films with the theme of same-sex relationships, in recent years have been able to make the storyline more sentimental through exploring the feelings of the main characters. Call it "Call Me By Your Name" (2017) which managed to attract critical acclaim thanks to the depth of the characters Elio and Oliver who bear the heavy burden of falling in love with each other.
Taiwanese cinema enlivened the ripples of a similar theme with the presence of “Dear Tenant” (2020). Not only highlighting discrimination and negative stigma about same-sex relationships, this film also combines crime drama and family stories that are connected because of the sincere love of lovers in the past.
The film, directed by Cheng Yu-Cieh, presents an amazing performance from Morning Mo, Run Yin-Bai, and senior actress Chen Su-fang and has become one of the box office films in China.
The Complicated Relationship between Tenant and Homeowner
“Dear Tenant” focuses on the story of Lin Jian-yi (Morning Mo), a piano teacher who lives at the home of Zhou Xiu-yu (Chen Su-fang) and his grandson Wang You-yu (Run Yin-Bai). From the beginning of the film, the audience will be led to confusion about the relationship between the three, which is born from a complicated story.
Lin, who has always been kind to the owner of the house, often gets cynical treatment from Grandma Zhou for being the one who caused the death of her son, You-yu's father, Wang Li-wei (Jack Yao).
The film moves quickly to the tragedy of Grandma Zhou's death. Lin became the only person who was considered responsible for the death of the person he had considered as his own mother. You-Yu's uncle, who has long since left the family, Wang Li-gang (Jay Shih) investigates the case of his mother's death through legal channels, and puts Lin in prison on various charges, one of which is using Lin's sexual orientation as an excuse for a crime.
The big secret is shown in the second half of the film, that Lin's sincerity is the greatest form of love for You Yu's father, his lover in the past. The same-sex relationship between Lin and Li Wei is then told in a flashback that is sweet but has a touching ending. And You-yu takes a big role as a child who is adopted by his own father's lover, the complicated relationship between Lin and You-yu becomes a big narrative that brings both emotion and sadness to this film.
Helplessness Against Social Stigma
Lin's legal entanglement led to a deep sadness, how Lin and You-yu finally separated due to circumstances that were not in their favor. The scenes where they showed their inseparable family ties became so sentimental, because many social stigmas doubted Lin's sincerity towards You-yu.
The story unfolds when the autopsy shows that in Grandma Zhou's body there are narcotics. The investigation conducted by the police showed how Lin's privacy was used as a soft material to ensnare him in prison.
The most heartbreaking condition can be seen when the police conduct an interrogation session and ask on what basis Lin can sincerely support the life and care of Grandma Zhou and You-yu. Lin was at the peak of his annoyance to the point of making the most sarcastic remark, about what if she was a woman who wanted to take care of the mother and child of her beloved lover, would the case be very different?
As a director, Cheng Yu-Cieh is able to build a bright perspective on how people who have a same-sex sexual orientation always get discrimination and racist comments from the social environment.
The prejudices that most people have are then well packaged and embroidered in the story of the entanglement of criminal cases, thus adding to the powerlessness of Lin's character. How the police officers showed racism by cornering Lin because of his condition, and in the end Lin had to be fired from his job as a piano teacher because his parents began to object to his status and condition, illustrates how difficult it is to fight the social stigma of powerlessness.
Touching Movies with Dark Cinematography
“Dear Tenant” does not show an approach that wants to glorify the main character as a saint without sin. The relationship between Lin and a drug dealer named Eric (Ko Yuan-Wang) makes this film more realistic and adds to the exciting conflict that is presented.
The cinematography of Meteor Cheung can show Lin's world that looks gloomy, with the dominance of dark and gray colors that add to the heartbreaking impression of this film. With the music of the piano playing sadly, it adds to the dramatic essence that is the sweet closing of this film.
This 106-minute film was successfully nominated in six categories at the 2020 Golden Horse Award, and won three nominations at once in the categories of Best Supporting actress for Chen Shu-fang, Best Original Film Score for Fran Chen, and Best Leading Actor for Morning Mo. .