Little Big Women, co-written by alumna Maya Huang '16, is now available to view on Netflix. The film premiered at the 2020 Busan International Film Festival in Taiwan in October. The film has also screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival, and took top prizes at the 2020 Golden Horse Film Festival, including World Focus 2020 and Best Leading Actress. Golden Horse Awards nominations included Best Supporting Actress, Best New Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Film Score, and Best Original Film Song.
In the film, a family grapples with the passing of their estranged father and the remnants of the life he led during his absence. On her 70th Birthday, matriarch Lin Xiuying (Shu-Fang Chen), makes grand birthday celebrations that quickly transform into funeral plans when her husband, who has been estranged for twenty years and became a lustful womaniser, passes away. Without hesitation as a traditional Hoklo woman, she plans her husband's mourning and funeral begrudgingly.
Xiuying’s daughters face drama of their own. The eldest, Ching (Hsieh Ying-Xuan), encounters health issues. Jiajia (Sun Ke-fang), resents Shoying’s pushiness. And the successful doctor Yu (Vivian Hsu), puts undue pressure on her own daughter, the sunny Clementine (Buffy Chen).
Little Big Women explores moving on against the luscious beauty that is Tainan, Taiwan and what it means to mourn someone who is already gone.
Maya Huang acquired her MFA from Columbia University School of Arts Film Program and concentrated in screenwriting. Her film scripts include Little Big Women and End of Summer.
You can view the trailer for Little Big Women below:
