^Pre-screening introduction
Dir: Lee Mi-mi
Scr: Chiu Hsiu-chuan
DP: Chris Chen
Cast: Tien Niu, Shen Yan, Chin Han, Chou Dan-wei, Lin Nan-shi, Lin Mei-ling
Rediscovered in recent years, Girls’ School is the last film in Lee Mi-mi’s ‘Female Trilogy’. Ting and Lin are inseparable friends in their all-girls high school. Their close relationship becomes a subject of their classmates’ envy, which leads to rumours about homosexuality. Following the others’ warning, Lin distances herself from Ting, who is a stubborn loner from a single-parent household. Her despair eventually leads to an accident. The vilification of homosexuality is a lethal weapon that forces characters to confront the power of social norms. Their attitudes constitute group dialectics, which all seem reasonable. Under the restrictions of the era, the film is able to handle the special theme without dwelling on venting its position and allow room for ambiguity. It has the ability to evoke various feelings and thoughts, leaving viewers to ponder the future. The director returns to her alma mater in Pingtung to shoot this film. Under the bright warm sun, the elegant schoolhouse and fresh faces contrast with the character’s painful coming-of-age.