In a world where the actual truth of the matter is buried in favor of an eye-catching and rating-raising headline, the ones who are actually innocent could end up suffering the most and that’s what happens to poor Chang Cheng-yi in the movie The Post-Truth World, which was exclusively released on Netflix in January. Luckily for him, a highly reputable independent news anchor by the name of Liu Li-min might be the key he needs in order to prove his innocence. That is if Liu doesn’t end up spinning the headline to attract more followers.
With the literal meaning behind the Chinese translation of the title being “truth after crime,” this high-stakes redemption story stars Joseph Chang as a former top media personality who’s looking for the most eye-catching crime story in order to make his weaning news website popular again and Edward Chen as a prisoner who finally grows tired of being behind bars for a murder he did not commit. Focused on finding out who actually killed his girlfriend seven years ago, the framed young man quickly takes Liu hostage while breaking out. Through constant vignettes that paint a picture of various social media reporters willing to stretch the real story however long in order to keep the viewers and stay relevant, the audience sees how events that happen to our characters in the movie dearly affect the portrayal the media gives them given how Chen is in a constant spotlight for being an escaped and wanted fugitive.
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Trauma Takes Center Stage In The Post-Truth World
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With not only the many branches of the media but also the authorities hot on their tails and trying to figure out a years-long murder at the same time, the emotional flow of Chang and Chen has to consistently be flowing in order to make the plot believable. That doesn’t seem to be a problem here with their prior acting experiences in tow. Adding to his Taiwanese resume since 2001 which includes varied roles like being Cody Maverick in the Mandarin dub of 2007’s animated Surf’s Up and with a role in Netflix’s long-running anthology series Midnight Diner, Joseph Chang already has shown that he can portray any character with ease. In the short time span that Edward Chen has started in the film world, he has made plenty of headway in the LGBTQ+ space, being cast in features like Your Name Engraved Herein and the South Korean television series The Red Balloon. As emotionally driven dramas seem to be Chen’s expertise so far, it’s a no-brainer that he was picked to be a troubled youth.
Besides the duo that is headlining this movie, numerous actors and actresses fill in the supporting roles such as Caitlin Fang who plays Liu Li-min’s daughter Liu Chen-chen. Actress Aviis Zhong steps into the role of Liu’s late wife, Hsu Ya-Ching, a brave woman who was expertly skilled in being undercover to find out all about the latest breaking story and also Chan Tzu-hsaun, who is Wang Shih-yun, the unfortunate victim who was the catalyst towards the entire puzzlingly plot of this movie. While this symbolic thriller seems to be Chan Tzu-hsaun’s first foray into the Taiwanese acting scene, both Fang and Zhong have circulated around the Golden Horse Awards scene in the past and in the present. Celebrating the best Chinese language films of the year, Caitlin Fang has won Best New Performer in 2021 and Aviis Zhong, on the other hand, is actually in the running to win Best Supporting Actress from her role in The Post-Truth World.
The Post-Truth World Is Full of Twists
Speaking of the Golden Horse Awards, which can be compared to the Oscars, The Post-Truth World has two other nominations in its name which should show you that the entire cast really gave this film their all with the performances given. Chang is a choice for Best Leading Actor in 2022 and the overall film has been selected to possibly hold the FIPRESCI Prize, which is a collected high honor given by specific film journalists and critics from all around the world.
Not only is The Post-Truth World a message about how today’s society caters to sensationalism rather than realism, but this modern-day suspense feature, which is produced by Dennis Wu and Lin Shi Ken in conjunction with Bole Film and Type Writers Company, has so many twists and turns that it will make anybody’s head spin. There are multiple instances where the audience is led to believe that the resolution is near, and the case is about to be solved, but the supposed culprit behind Wang’s murder turns out to be yet another dead end in this never-ending rabbit hole of suspected possibilities.
In order to build the eerily intimate and personal world in which the characters live in, The Post-Truth World starts slowly by taking time to precisely place every story element. Ingeniously crafted, these fine details give the movie a foundation from which to rise and stand on. You may even question why some lines of dialogue or character introductions are made. But as the two-hour runtime slowly comes to a close, you will come to find out why the truth still matters even after everything is supposedly said and done.
