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Winner of three awards at Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Horse Film Festival, Dear Tenant is a moving portrait of unconditional love, gay identity, and the ties that bind—centering around a trio of people who form their own chosen family within the confines of their apartment building. Over the past five years, kind-hearted gay man Mr. Lin (an extraordinary Mo Tzu-yi) has formed a rich, caring bond with the aging Mrs. Chou (Chen Shu-fang) and her young grandson—moving far beyond the expected tenant-landlord dynamics. When Mrs. Chou dies unexpectedly, complicated questions of inheritance and guardianship quickly arise. Facing a wave of outside judgment and suspicion, Mr. Lin soon realizes that small-minded prejudice can carry grave consequences.
Blending a slowburn family drama, courtroom intrigue, and an impassioned plea for LGBTQ+ equality, writer-director Cheng Yu-Chieh finds the perfect balance between a compassionate character study in the vein of Taiwanese master Edward Yang (Yi Yi) and a good old-fashioned tearjerker in this box office hit.
View the corresponding panel Taiwan Focus, featuring filmmakers of this film on Frameline's YouTube.