2/5 stars
Audiences unfamiliar with the work of Chen Uen, the celebrated Taiwanese comic book artist, may emerge from Wang Wan-jo’s lengthy documentary still relatively unenlightened. The film is less successful in its efforts to paint a picture of his life and career than it is in providing a podium for a wide assembly of colleagues, peers and fans from across the industry to eulogise the man, who died in 2017, at the age of 58.
Chen is most fondly remembered for eschewing the Japanese manga style of comic book artistry that was proving increasingly popular in the late 20th century, instead drawing from traditional Chinese wuxia narratives to realise his distinctive manhua designs.
Ironically, Chen’s elaborate and evocative style earned him work in Japan, while failing to make much of an impact at home in Taiwan. His work would also bring him to Hong Kong, and later to Beijing where he became involved in the emerging video game industry, but he seemed incapable of finding a gratifying balance between his exhausting work ethic and public recognition.
Wang’s previous documentary, A Foley Artist, succeeded in creating an absorbing and satisfying portrait of a solitary artist, in this case veteran sound engineer Hu Ding-yi, at work in a fast-disappearing field. Without Chen’s participation here, Wang seems unsure how best to represent the artist on-screen.
Her film employs animatic sequences of Chen wandering the streets of Taipei on his way to the National Palace Museum’s exhibition celebrating his artistic contributions – the first time a comic book has been recognised in this way – but they add nothing to our understanding of the man.
The bulk of the film is surrendered to a vast roster of former collaborators, students and luminaries from the comic book community, who share their memories of working alongside Chen, or how his art influenced their own work.
Unfortunately, Wang seems so in awe of her guests – many of whom will be unfamiliar to anyone not already an expert in the field – that they are given free rein to deliver long, rambling reminiscences that can be difficult to follow. Their accounts of Chen are personal but frequently contradictory, and Wang provides little additional context to help viewers fashion a balanced overview of their own.
After 135 minutes, Chen remains as enigmatic as ever; he is a highly skilled, innovative artist who was inspirational and supportive to some, frustrating and aloof to others. The vivid splendour of Chen’s work speaks for itself, but Wang’s film proves far less rewarding.
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