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Suffocating Love
Director Liao Ming-Yi resumes his quirky exploration of the Möbius strip connecting love and paranoia after his breakthrough feature debut I WeirDO (NYAFF 2020), with both films gorgeously shot entirely on iPhones. An idealistic would-be mensch’s search for romance leads him down a surreal rabbit hole of dreams come true, for better or worse. His heart is first captured by an adorable control freak pure of soul but whose idiosyncrasies get the best of both of them. Before you can say doppelganger there are two other beguiling women in his love life, but oh boy, is there some wild world-building at play here. Liao reunites his previous film's stars, Austin Lin and Nikki Hsieh, while adding glamorous Lin Dayuan and ingénue Chloe Xiang to the fray. Continuing his fascination with high-concept cyber-influenced narratives, OCD-fueled romcom tropes and stylish flourishes that harken the thriller and horror genres, Liao delves deep into the nitty-gritty complications of contemporary coupling.