|
Café. Waiting. Love. is a movie that was released in theaters in August 2014. The screenplay was adapted from a novel of the same title by Giddens Ko and directed by Chiang Jin-lin. The plot begins with the love yearning protagonist Si-Ying, who follows her crush Ze-Yu into a café, and is unexpectedly hired as a part-time waitress. She becomes acquainted with the café owner, barista A Bu-Si, and eccentric school senior A-Tuo. Si-Ying originally hoped that her job would bring her closer to Ze-Yu, who is a regular at the café, but her efforts are always counteracted by A-Tuo. She yells at him several times, all to no avail. As they spend more and more time in each other’s company and begin to overcome their differences, Si-Ying and A-Tuo become great, inseparable friends. A-Tuo’s vibrant lifestyle gradually enables Si-Ying to comprehend his unique perspectives, while A-Tuo falls for Si-Ying’s frankness and strong sense of justice. Their mutual friends, ex-movie director Bao Ge and his wife Aunt Jin-Dao see them as an innocent couple, but Si-Ying insists she considers A-Tuo as just a friend. Only when A-Tuo decides to go abroad after graduating does Si-Ying realize that it isn’t Ze-Yu that she is waiting for, but A-Tuo.
The movie centers upon the idea that “every single individual is waiting for someone who appreciates their uniqueness;” it describes how characters reevaluate themselves again after experiencing heartbreak and find the courage to love again. Themes discussed include teenagers’ exploration of love, how married couples mutually adjust and bond, and how lovers that suffer heartbreak rebuild their lives and relationships.
This essay encompasses an analysis of the creative process of film adaptation, including aspects of image aesthetics and representation such as commercial film script interpretation, cinematography, lighting, set design, costume design, editing, and visual effects. The creative process the director took to create this fantasy rom-com will be delineated in detail, followed by an illustration of aspects that would benefit from improvement.
|