Golden Horse Award-winning director Wei Te-sheng’s latest film BIG tells the story of six families from different backgrounds, as they navigate the joys and sorrows of life together in a pediatric cancer ward. After initially low box-office receipts, the movie received rave reviews and worldwide praise, breaking the all-time record for private screenings in film history.
Wei Te-sheng finds inspiration amid the pandemic
When the COVID pandemic struck in 2020, Wei Te-sheng, a talented, award-winning director, recalled a documentary he had produced when he was younger. In it, he interviewed a female college student who had undergone an amputation due to bone cancer. The girl’s optimism, as she described the children in the hospital ward, surprised Wei Te-sheng. He asked her if those children ever felt that they wanted to give up on life due to the severe pain.
After a short reflection, the girl said: “I’ve been in and out of the pediatric cancer ward so many times, and I’ve never seen a single child who didn’t want to live.” This answer left him stunned as he realized that the pediatric oncology ward was brimming with vitality. This sparked Wei Te-sheng’s desire to produce a film about pediatric cancer.
Never give up
Big shows Wei-Te-shen’s storytelling talent, focusing on children of various ages and their experiences in the pediatric oncology ward “816”. The movie encompasses six families from different social classes, backgrounds, and faiths. The children just want to live, and they never give up hope. Even when they’re alone, they’re determined to win this battle, despite medicine having its limitations. Through a storyline that blends laughter with tears, the film offers multiple opportunities for reflection, providing emotion and positive energy.
Taiwan’s first film combining live-action and animation
In filmmaking, children and animals are the hardest to manage. While casting young actors for his BIG movie, Wei Te-sheng demonstrated a keen ability to recognize talent and unlock children’s potential. The director had his challenges, including one of the protagonists refusing to have her hair cut and a four-year-old constantly looking for her mother. Since the children’s parents accompanied them on set, shared meals with them, and played with them, the children and their parents eventually became inseparable.
The positive fight of children in ward 816
A book by Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki inspired Wei Te-sheng to adapt his story into an animated film. He thus employed Takumi Tanji, the art director of the Japanese animated film Your Name, as well as some top-tier animation teams from Taiwan, Japan, and Italy. With the assistance of his longtime collaborator Ho Kuo-chieh, animation and live-action blend seamlessly, creating the first Taiwanese film to combine the two elements.
In Big, the characters are modeled on the children’s distinct traits, each wielding a legendary custom-made weapon. Turned into heroic warriors, they make a stylish entrance. With high spirits, they charge forward to the beat of a lively march, and they unite to fight the Great Demon King and his army of disease. “Today’s battle scars are tomorrow’s marks of a warrior!” “Are you full? Let’s go back and fight!” Fueled by fearless determination and willpower, they fight until the very end.
The film reflects the reality between life and death, while also paying tribute to the tireless medical teams. The unexpected twist at the end, paired with the gentle song My Darling Child, captures the emotions, hope, and anticipation of life.
Life itself is a gift: The big of your own life
Despite every child wanting to live a good life, this becomes hard with an amputated body. In Taiwan, approximately 500 children under the age of 18 are diagnosed with cancer each year; leukemia, brain tumors, and lymphoma are the most common ones. Around 80% of them have a 5-year life expectancy. Childhood cancer is a taboo topic, with many people being reluctant to address it. BIG offers comfort and hope to those who are suffering or have lost a loved one, their health, or their dreams. Wei Te-sheng said: “Every person living in this world is a Big. Anyone who faces their challenges is a Big.”
Translated by Audrey Wang and edited by Laura Cozzolino
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