Director: Liao Ming-yi
Next Screening: 25th October 4:45 PM at Palace Nova Eastend
This Taiwanese directorial debut is a rom com centred around two lovers whose connection stems from their shared diagnosis of OCD. When boy meets girl on his monthly shop while she compulsively steals from the supermarket, they catch each other’s eye in their matching protective gear. Ironically filmed before the pandemic, our lovers wear the all-too-familiar masks and outfits present in our times. The pair challenge each other to step out of their comfort zone, exposing themselves to the germs they fear. The strength of their relationship is tested when one wakes up miraculously cured, and the other must confront the effect of their disorder on the future.
iWeirDo is incredibly compelling for a number of reasons, shot on an iPhone XS Max, the slightly granular view is met with vibrant primary block colours. You spend so much time throughout the film questioning why the colours are shifting, the boy generally in his standard blue, and her in red, with blue sometimes green hair tips.
The attention to detail and use of colour make up for the restrictions that arise from filming on a phone. Their use of static shots throughout are brilliant, for example as our main character wakes up cured, the audience’s view broadens as the shot widens. These elements beg rewatching the film to catch more of these shifts and details.
Goofy antics soon give way to a rift that is contemplative and heartbreaking. iWeirDo cleverly meshes this duality. If you can forgive the romanticism of this disorder, this debut is cleverly constructed, and you become incredibly invested in this tumultuous relationship.
4/5
Collage 