Formosa Betrayed

I saw this film at the St. Louis International Film Festival and could not have been more impressed. I left the theater with countless questions and consequently could not stop talking about US-Taiwan relations for weeks. I am sure this is what the filmmakers intended.

I find it shocking that I do not know a single person from my generation (even among student peers who claim to be more passionate about foreign affairs than the average American) who has even heard of the name "Formosa"—not to mention that China currently has hundreds of missiles pointed at the island from its side of the Taiwan Strait, or that the U.S. has promised to unconditionally defend Taiwan in any situation of armed attack. I therefore feel certain the majority of Americans will relate perfectly to James Van Der Beek's character, Agent Kelly, who also knows absolutely nothing about the subject matter.

Agent Kelly receives a brutal reality check in Taipei, and so will American audiences when they see this film. I am sure my peers will leave the theater just as eager to ask questions and to learn more about Taiwan as I was. The filmmakers do not seek to teach a perfect history lesson through documentary but rather to tell a dramatic story that will catch Americans' attention, inspire dialogue, and encourage them to better educate themselves on this important issue. In this regard, James Van Der Beek, Will Tiao and Wendy Crewson's performances are all highly effective. The nonlinear narrative furthermore forces audiences to more actively engage themselves with the film and accordingly with the larger issues presented. Overall, I would call "Formosa Betrayed" a huge success.

Saw this film at the Montreal Film Festival. I think it's one of the best political thrillers I've seen in many years. Did not know much about the history of Taiwan, but the film brought me back to the early 80s with it's Cold War references. The cinematography was excellent and you felt the film was epic in scope.

Was particularly impressed by the performances. James Van Der Beek makes a starring turn as FBI Agent Jake Kelly. He does a great job carrying the film. Wendy Crewson and John Heard remind me of many bureaucrats I've met over the years. Will Tiao gives a heartbreaking performance as Ming, the waiter/dissident. What happens to his character is so devastating it made me cry. Reminds me of Haing Ngor's performance in "The Killing Fields." The rest of the supporting cast is outstanding.

In fact, this movie reminded me a lot of "The Killing Fields" which I think this movie is for Taiwan as that movie was for Cambodia. Definitely a must see film if you love political thrillers.

Hey Crapone! You should see the movie for yourself instead of making things out from the internet! Obviously you haven't read Formosa Betrayed book either.

Uganda Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Tibetan Genocide, Darfur Genocide, Muslim Uyghur Turks Genocide... The truth will always prevail. When people learn to admit the truth, then we can all forgive and move on.

Movies have a way of teaching us the truth in people and this movie should be recognized for it's excellence in story, acting, filming and for showing the truth.

Thank you for putting your money, time and effort in making this film!

Peace to all : ) ... even for all you haters out there!

1) Kaohsiung Incident (1979) - A demonstration led by Formosa Magazine staff resulted in the Martial Law arrest of dozens of dissidents.

2) Lin Family Massacre (1980) - A grim murder of the 7 years old twin girls and their 70 years old grandma in their house then under 24-hour surveillance by the Garrison Command (Taiwan secret police). The day before her murder, the grandma had managed to reach out the international human right organizations about the brutal treatment received by her son in jail. Her son Lin Yi-Hsiung was among the Kaohsiung Incident dissidents arrested.

3) The Murder of Chen Wen-Chen (1981) - Carnegie Mellon University professor Chen Wen-Chen, while visiting Taiwan, was interrogated by the Garrison Command agents two days in a roll. He never returned home. Dr. Chen had been an active Taiwan independence advocate.

4) The Assassination of Henry Liu (1984) - California resident and Journalist Henry Liu was killed in his garage by mafia killers sent overseas by the Taiwan Garrison Command (the secret police head was later sentenced to life by Taiwan authority). Liu had just released a book about the reigning president Chiang Jing-Guo, son and successor of Chiang Kai-Shek.

I had to hang with the film for a while before it started to pay off. Until then, it sort of felt like a well-funded political action thriller directed and constructed somewhat less than professionally.

In the end, you could do worse if you dig political action. But lapses in narrative work and character development prevent me from calling this a truly fine film.

I live in Taiwan. I have to say that the film rather does succeed in putting some faces and blood and sweat and tears behind the bits of history that I've learned since I came here.

If you're thinking of renting it, I'd recommend at least a quick peruse of some online materials related to Taiwan in the post-War period, up to the time depicted (the '80s).