When Hong Kong filmmaker Stephen Fung learnt that his wife, Taiwanese screen siren Shu Qi, was gearing up to make her directorial debut, his reaction was apparently to chuckle gleefully and say: “Your day has finally come.” But not exactly in a loving, husbandly way.
“He told me I was very difficult to work with as an actor,” Shu Qi admitted in response to an audience member’s question during her sold-out ‘In Conversation With’ dialogue session — part of this year’s Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) — on Thursday (27 Nov).
The couple, married since 2016, collaborated as director and star in the 2017 action film ‘The Adventurers’, although she didn’t elaborate on her supposed antics on set.
Still, one can’t help but wonder if Fung’s comment had something to do with Shu Qi’s very delicate and detailed handling of the cast of her film ‘Girl’, which opened SGIFF on Wednesday (26 Nov).
Shu Qi (right) with ‘Girl’ stars 9m88 (left) and Bai Xiao-Ying (centre).
Image courtesy of Singapore International Film Festival
In a group interview with MS News and other local media on Thursday afternoon, ‘Girl’ stars Joanne Tang (better known as 9m88, pronounced “Jiu Em Ba Ba”) and Bai Xiao-Ying had nothing but praise for Shu Qi’s directing style.
Image courtesy of Yang Yi
“She’s an amazing director,” shared 9m88, as Shu Qi smiled shyly. “The way she interacts with someone depends on the individual. I think since she’s an actress herself, she knows how we’re feeling. For example, if she knows I’m feeling insecure, she’ll say, ‘Hey, you’re a singer. Let me play a song for you,’ as a way of taking care of me.”
Bai added that Shu Qi, whom she described as a very “lively” director, always knew what to do to help them relax, offering feedback in a gently buoyant way, for example: “It would be better if you did it this way… but what you did was really good, too.”
9m88 and Bai Xiao-Ying in a still from ‘Girl’.
Image courtesy of Singapore International Film Festival
Perhaps Shu Qi’s tenderness also stemmed from knowing what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a director’s demands — and now having to shoulder them herself.
She found out the hard way that being a director is the equivalent of playing a hundred roles at once: it’s not just yelling “cut” or setting a scene, but wrangling everything from lighting cues to last-minute logistics.
No wonder, as she quipped during the dialogue session, she sprouted a few white hairs in the process.
Image courtesy of Yang Yi
But the director’s chair came with unexpected perks, too. For one, she didn’t have to fret about looking good on camera since she was safely behind it. “I loved not having to worry about dieting or losing weight,” she grinned.
As it turns out, ‘Girl’ might never have existed without the nudging of legendary auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien, who directed Shu Qi in ‘Millennium Mambo’, ‘Three Times’, and ‘The Assassin’.
“If he hadn’t been the one who suggested I direct, I would never have taken the first step,” Shu Qi said.
Hou Hsiao-hsien and Shu Qi at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival
Source: Getty Images via Festival de Cannes
At first, she laughed it off, but Hou kept bringing it up until she realised he was serious. That’s when she began thinking about what kind of script she wanted to write.
She had three ideas then: a horror-action hybrid, a modern love story, and the concept that would eventually become ‘Girl’.
For the first two, she tried outsourcing the writing. However, the drafts didn’t align with her vision. So she ultimately focused on the third.
The journey took a decade from penning the first page to wrapping the shoot.
“Last month when I went home, my husband took out the very first script draft I wrote, and it was from 2013. That version is very, very different from what you see now,” she revealed.
Image courtesy of Yang Yi
The film, a semi-autobiographical take on Shu Qi’s own troubled childhood, doesn’t shy away from harrowing depictions of domestic violence.
Bai’s character trembles in fear and hides inside a flimsy zip-up wardrobe to escape her abusive, perpetually drunk father (terrifyingly portrayed by Roy Chiu), who shows no hesitation in assaulting his wife, played by 9m88.
The girl, in turn, experiences her own harsh treatment from her mother.
When asked about her parents’ reactions to the movie, Shu Qi didn’t sugarcoat her response.
Image courtesy of Yang Yi
“My dad is still an alcoholic, so things are the same,” she said with an almost matter-of-fact laugh. As for her mother, when asked what she thought of ‘Girl’ at the film’s premiere, she reportedly shrugged and said: “It’s okay.”
Shu Qi couldn’t help but reply: “Hey, your husband is Roy Chiu’s character.”
It might be tempting to expect a neat, happy ending. However, Shu Qi made it clear that ‘Girl’ isn’t entirely about reconciliation.
“Sometimes people say time heals, but how long does it really take for someone who has experienced trauma?” she reflected. “It’s not simply about growing up. It’s about accepting it as part of life and learning to put it behind you without letting negativity take over.”
“I grew up with a lot of wounds, and there are some fears I still have now, but trauma shouldn’t hold us back,” she continued. “Now that I’m grown up, I can take control and carve a path for myself. It’s important not to avoid looking at the past.”
‘Girl’ holds another message: “If you’re not ready to have a child, don’t start a family. It’s another way of thinking about responsible parenting.”
Image courtesy of Singapore International Film Festival
The cast also saw the film as carrying lessons beyond its period setting.
9m88 reflected: “Even though this story takes place in 1988, those who haven’t experienced domestic violence can still relate to experiences of gaslighting. The film shows that we have choices, that even in toxic relationships, we can walk away if we decide to.”
Bai added: “I hope the movie communicates that, although we can’t choose the family we’re born into, our path is still ours to decide. We can make our own choices.”
Asked to rate herself as a director, Shu Qi modestly said she “passes” — even though she won Best Director at the Busan International Film Festival. “I always feel there’s something we can do better,” she explained.
As for what’s next, her answer was simple: “I just want to go home, lie down, and have a good sleep. I’ve been talking about ‘Girl’ since 2023, so I’m happy to finally be able to stop. (Laughs)”
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Featured image courtesy of Yang Yi and Singapore International Film Festival.