What are the Best Taiwanese Movies of 2024?
The editors of New Bloom and Cinema Escapist have teamed up again to curate a list of 2024’s top Taiwanese movies. We looked across both blockbusters and indie movies to find movies that had notable entertainment or artistic value, and contained meaningful representations of Taiwan’s society and culture. What resulted was this list of 10 movies across genres ranging from crime, comedy, horror, neo-noir, and more.
We’ve also tried including streaming links to any titles that appear on streaming platforms like Netflix, though specific availability will vary by country.
Let’s take a look at 2024’s best Taiwanese movies!
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10. Breaking and Re-entering
Chinese Title: 還錢 Director: Leo Wang | Starring: Chen Bo-lin , Cecilia Choi , Frederick Lee , JC Lin , Kent Tsai , Wu Kang-Ren | Genre(s): Crime, Action
If you’re looking for some straightforward entertainment, Breaking and Re-entering might fit the bill. This 2024 Taiwanese movie blends comedy and romance atop a “reverse heist” narrative where, as the title suggests, the film’s main characters want to return a large amount of money to a bank in order to expose its corruption.
While Breaking and Re-entering won’t pioneer any novel philosophical paradigms, the movie offers a decent amount of suspense and reliable laughs. Especially notable is how the main villain has an exaggerated ABC (American Born Chinese) accent, which might be especially amusing for those with some Mandarin knowledge.
Learn more about this Taiwanese movie in our full-length review | Stream this Taiwanese movie on Netflix
9. Yen and Ai-Lee
Chinese Title: 小雁與吳愛麗 | Director: Tom Lin Shu-yu | Starring:Kimi Hsia, Yang Kuei-mei, Sam Tseng | Genre(s): Drama, Family
Yen and Ai-Lee features a raw and visually distinctive exploration of family trauma that won it the praise of critics and broader audiences in Taiwan and abroad. The film centers on a young woman named Yen who, eight years ago, killed her abusive father in order to protect her mother Ai-Lee. After getting released from prison, Yen attempts to rebuild her relationship with Ai-Lee, but traumas and other figures from their pasts re-emerge to haunt them.
The film is shot entirely in black-and-white by Indian cinematographer Kartik Vijay, who also worked on other Chinese-language films like Abang Adik and The Garden of Evening Mists; Vijay’s cinematography is highly attentive to detail and demonstrates strong technical skill, for example with his usage of a long take in Yen and Ai-Lee’s opening scene. Yen and Ai-Lee is also distinctive in that it takes place (and was filmed in) Kaohsiung’s Meinong District, which has a significant presence of Hakka-speaking people. The movie won plaudits at numerous festivals and awards ceremonies, including the Kim Jiseok Award at 2024’s Busan International Film Festival as well as nominations for eight categories at 2024’s Golden Horse Awards (with a Best Supporting Actress win for Yang Kuei-mei as Ai-Lee).
8. Salli
Chinese Title: 莎莉 | Director: Lien Chien-hung | Starring: Esther Liu, Austin Lin | Genre(s): Romance, Comedy
Salli distinguishes with its tale of a middle-aged woman seeking out her own direction in life. Protagonist Hui-jun is a chicken farmer in her 40s. Wanting more in her life than her humdrum daily life, Hui-jun downloads a dating app and finds herself in an online relationship with Martin, a French man.
Though others around her warn her that she may be falling victim to a scam, Hui-jun is determined to seek out her digital lover, and travels to France. In this way, Hui-jun tries to seek something beyond life in rural Taiwan, while also trying to come to terms with being a single woman in her 40s.
Salli was nominated at the 2024 Taipei Film Awards and 2024 Golden Film Awards for Esther Liu’s performance as main character Hui-jun. Supporting actors, such as DJ Didilong and newcomer Tang Yung-hsu, also received nominations.
7. Locust
Chinese Title: 蟲 | Director: KEFF | Starring: Liu Wei-chen, Rimong Ihwar, Devin Pan | Genre(s): Drama, Neo-Noir
The feature debut of mononymous Taiwanese-American director KEFF (whose short Taipei Suicide Story we’d previously covered), Locust is a neo-noir thriller which focuses on a young man named Zhong-han who works in a homey restaurant by day, but gets involved with gang activities at night. However, when a real estate developer tries to exploit the owners of the restaurant, Zhong-han gets caught in the middle of broader political intrigues and must choose between his gang affiliations and affinity with the kind restaurant owners.
Interestingly, Locust blends both micro and macro sociopolitical musings, juxtaposing Zhong-han’s local struggles with the 2019 Hong Kong protests. While this approach somewhat complicates the film’s narrative, it also helps raise broader questions about what happens if Taiwanese youth get disconnected from broader global affairs. With such philosophical musings and high production values, Locust garnered appreciable attention on the festival and awards circuit. It was the first Taiwanese movie to compete at Cannes Critics’ Week, and also got nominated for a Golden Horse Award for best soundtrack.
Disclosure: New Bloom’s editor Brian Hioe was a consultant for Locust. To mitigate conflicts of interest, Cinema Escapist’s editor Anthony Kao wrote this blurb and approved the film’s selection on this list.
6. Mongrel
Chinese Title: 白衣蒼狗 | Director: Chiang Wei-liang, Yin You-qiao | Starring: Wanlop Rungkumjad, Kuo Shu-wei, Daniel Hong, Lu Yi-ching | Genre(s): Drama
Mongrel is a strong debut for director Chiang Wei-ling, winning him plaudits as best new director at the 2024 Golden Horse Film Festival. In particular, Mongrel is the latest Taiwanese film to focus on the plight of migrant workers in Taiwan, as well as to link the social abuse of migrant workers to violent crime.
Protagonist Oom is a Thai migrant caregiver who takes care of the elderly in Taiwan. Oom also assists Taiwanese gangster Hsing, a labor broker, in his dealings with other migrant caregivers. But when Hsing is suddenly unable to pay other migrant caregivers, Oom finds himself in a moral quandary about whose side to take.
Though perhaps sensationalist in its depictions of organized crime and migrant work, Mongrel continues themes echoed in other recent Taiwanese film and television, most notably in Port of Lies.
5. The Embers
Chinese Title: 餘燼 | Director: Chung Mong-hong | Starring: Chang Chen, Mo Tzu-yi, Tiffany Ann Hsu, Chin Shih-chieh, Liu Kuan-ting | Genre(s): Crime, Historical, Drama
The latest Chung Mong-hung film, The Embers sees the esteemed director turn toward grappling with Taiwan’s authoritarian past. Set during the Chen Shui-bian administration in 2006, The Embers follows detective Chang Chen-ze attempting to solve a murder case linked to a Communist reading group in 1956–a plot-setup reminiscent of many similar incidents in the course of Taiwan’s democratization.
In the course of his investigation, Chang finds that this case is possibly linked to another murder involving the death of a food factory owner. The Embers continues Chung’s thematic interest in incidents of violent murder and the underlying subjective motivations that drive individuals to commit acts of violent crime.
4. Daughter’s Daughter
Chinese Title: 女兒的女兒 | Director: Huang Xi | Starring: Sylvia Chang, Karena Lam, Eugenie Liu | Genre(s): Drama, Family
Daughter’s Daughter centers on a 60 year-old woman named Aixia who has two daughters. One daughter is Emma, who she gave up for adoption in New York long ago. The other is Zuer, who grew up in Taipei. After Zuer and her lesbian partner die in a tragic accident, Aixia flies to New York—where Zuer has an embryo that she and her partner were planning to use for in vitro fertilization, and where Emma still lives.
With a poetic story that spans time periods and countries, Daughter’s Daughter caught the attention of critics worldwide, garnering screening slots and awards at prominent events like the Toronto and Tokyo International Film Festivals, as well as Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards. Actresses Sylvia Chang and Eugenie Liu especially won plaudits for their acting, which helped the movie convey a poignant message without becoming too melodramatic.
3. Time of Huan Nan
Chinese Title: 環南時候 | Director: Leading Lee | Starring: Hsia Teng-hung, Wang Yu-ping, Edison Song, Chu Meng-hsuan | Genre(s): LGBTQ, Drama
A fun, time travel romp through Taiwan’s recent history, Time of Huan Nan follows brash high schooler Chen Yao-hua, whose family runs a stall in Taipei’s storied Huan Nan Market. After his father enters a spiritual trance, Yao-hua finds himself unexpectedly thrown back to the year 1991, encountering a younger version of his father, and falling into the same group of friends.
Chen quickly discovers that his father is gay and that he is in love with Chang An-jian, the leader of their group. But Chen finds himself wondering, why did this relationship not last to the present day?
The Time of Huan Nan stands out for its skillful evocation of the period and strong character acting. Like other recent Taiwanese LGBTQ films, Time of Huan Nan seeks to situate Taiwan’s contemporary cultural pluralism in its larger history, and for this, the movie is an intriguing look at Taiwan’s past.
2. 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days
Chinese Title: 青春18×2 通往有你的旅程 | Director: Michihito Fujii | Starring: Greg Hsu Kuang-han, Kaya Kiyohara. | Genre(s): Romance
A somewhat saccharine but still gripping movie about cross-cultural romance, 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days tells the story of video game designer Jimmy as he travels to Japan in search of his lost high school love. Namely, Ami was a Japanese backpacker who stayed in Jimmy’s hometown of Tainan 18 years ago and though the two have not stayed in touch, in a moment of feeling adrift from his career, Jimmy decides to seek out Ami.
Tonally similar to other Taiwanese films about cross-cultural romances, such as Cape No. 7, 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days distinguishes itself with its reflections on youthful longing from an adult viewpoint. 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days’s twist ending reframes the rest of the movie in a new perspective and proves to be one of its most memorable elements.
1. Dead Talents Society
Chinese Title: 鬼才之道 | Director: John Hsu | Starring: Chen Bolin, Sandrine Pinna, Gingle Wang, Eleven Yao | Genre(s): Comedy, Horror
Topping our list of 2024’s best Taiwanese movies is Dead Talents Society. This ghost horror comedy is an enjoyable romp that offers a lighthearted yet resonant critique of today’s social media influencer infected world. The film garnered both box office and critical success in Taiwan and abroad, with numerous Golden Horse Award wins and screenings at a bevy of international festivals like the Toronto International Film Festival.
Dead Talents Society takes place in a world where, in order to continue existing, ghosts must prove the value of their existence by scaring mortals. When a recently deceased ghost only known as The Rookie (Gingle Wang) learns that she’ll disappear in 30 days without any action, she pairs up with a group of other ghosts—including a talent agent (Chen Bo-lin) and washed-up diva (Sandrine Pinna)—to scare social media influencers in a competition that grants permits to remain as a ghost.
With a well-executed 70s-80s visual aesthetic, catchy music, and approachable blend of East Asian ghost culture with modern social media woes, Dead Talents Society became one of the highest grossing Taiwanese-made movies of 2024. If you’re looking for a fun yet thoughtful Taiwanese crowd pleaser, Dead Talents Society could check that box.
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Want more Taiwanese movies? Check out our lists of 2023 and 2022‘s best Taiwanese films!