The Last Painting

The cityscape of Taipei sometimes acquires an expressionist touch in The Last Painting when painted scenes colour in realism. Something similar can be said of the story, which starts with the discovery of a gruesome murder in an artist's studio in an apartment block. Four months earlier, a politically engaged female student shared that space with a painter who had turned his back on his life as an activist. She, however, still wants to believe that happiness is working for the community. Is that really what motivates her? On the eve of the presidential election, attention shifts from her political work to something that gnaws at her more deeply. She and her very blonde girlfriend bear secrets within them, while the painter's relationship with a dancer starts to get tense. Art and politics, self-awareness, humiliation, jealousy, sexual identity, crime and punishment become tragically entangled in this raw philosophical drama. And keep an eye on the number seven. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)