Innocent Angle by Amber Wilkinson
In a quiet Taiwanese village, the rumble of the adult world is brought into sharp focus through the innocent eyes of childhood. Lu Po-Shun’s debut feature, Will You Still Be My Friend, offers a compelling children’s perspective on the high-stakes machinations unfolding around them: the sale of ancestral fishing ponds for solar farms.
The story is filtered through the experiences of teenagers Jun (played by Aloysius Looi), the grandson of the village chief, and his unexpected friendship with Jasper (played by Jayden Wang), the son of a Singaporean businessman intent on acquiring the land. These two young protagonists navigate a landscape undergoing radical change, learning firsthand how large-scale environmental and economic decisions impact their home and their future.
The film beautifully captures the tension between tradition and progress, using the intimate bond between Jun and Jasper to explore much larger themes of ownership, legacy, and the accelerating transition to green energy.
Director Lu Po-Shun has drawn the narrative directly from his own hometown experiences. He explains that the film is deeply rooted in his memory of the changes that took place during the recent Covid period, a time when the Taiwanese government actively encouraged green energy companies to take the lead.
This backdrop adds a poignant layer to the conflict, positioning the children not just as observers, but as active participants in a generational shift that redefines their community’s very identity.
The powerful narrative was recently showcased at the San Sebastian Film Festival, where the film premiered in the New Directors Competition. At the festival, the director shared insights into the challenges of working with young actors and the profound themes that inspired the story.
The resulting work is more than just a cinematic endeavor; it is a vibrant exploration of how the relentless pursuit of sustainable energy intersects with deep-seated familial ties and the innocent, yet acute, understanding of a changing world.
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