Old Fox (2023) User Reviews

Should Have Been Taiwan's Oscar 2024 Entry

[charles-limcw · 8/10 · 7 February 2024]

Such a good movie yet Taiwan stupidly and perplexingly selected the entertaining but much common and much much inferior "Marry My Dead Body" (Netflix) for its Oscar entry which of course meant Taiwan was thrown out of even a nomination. How foolish!

Old Fox is a well-acted, nicely scripted drama that skilfully navigates the difficult pass between sappy melodrama and hard realism, filled with characters that are endearing, believable and relatable.

Just one essential criticism -> the last few minutes with the adult son was not only totally unnecessary, it caused the movie to veer distastefully into sappy mundanity leaving a sickly aftertaste of what could have been otherwise a pristine sparkly imprint. It's a lingering mark of doubt the director may have had in the strength of the movie that preceded, to want to add in such an amateurish appendage that could only - and did - diminish what had been built.

For some inexplicable reason, Old Fox seems to have fallen into a grey zone in the audience market despite it being a significantly better offering than 80% of what's out there.

For instance, mine is the first audience review on IMDb eventhough it's been out for a while, and I was only one of two audience in the theatre.

Go watch it. HIGHLY recommended!

A richly observed, poignant story of a tumultuous childhood in Taiwan in the 80's

[paul-1181 · 10/10 · 23 April 2024]

This is a short review of a beautiful, elegantly paced film called Old Fox. The film is by the Taiwanese director, Hsiao Ya-chuan, who won the best director award at the 2023 Golden Horse awards and was edited with mastery and restraint by Chu-Chun Tao (who i have the pleasure to work with in her other life as a commercial editor).

Old Fox tells the story of a young boy who lives alone with his father, a musician and sensitive soul who is struggling since his wife died. His father works really hard to make ends meet and his son wants to see them living a more stable life in their own home that they own, rather than an apartment that they struggle to pay the rent on. The story builds on their relationship and the evolution of the ethics of the boy as he confronts a very challenging world. This film feels like you've stepped into their world of urban life in Taiwan in the early 1980s and is at times very quiet and impressionistic which i enjoyed. And even though the film has multiple storylines, the primary throughline is the ethical development of the son as he navigates learning what is right and wrong. "Old Fox" is the nickname of their landlord, who is the boss of the neighborhood and runs his businesses with a disturbing ruthlessness. The boy confronts "Old Fox" with a plea to sell an apartment to his father, and Old Fox, recognizing his younger self in the boy, becomes a type of mentor to him, with very mixed results.

There are a few storylines that weave in and out of the story of the boy and Old Fox, but for me their story was the most compelling. I found myself completely engaged with following the developing morals and actions of the son, which were sometimes hurtful but came from love for his father and a desire to see them rise out of poverty. The movie ends somewhat ambiguously, yet also poignant when you realize the impact of those developing years and how they shape a person's life.

I recommend the film for people who want to experience a unique portrayal of life in Taiwan in a beautifully filmed and paced story that takes you into the lives of people who aren't normally celebrated and so richly observed.