Director Returns After 20 Years: "The Useful One" Is the Only Taiwanese Film in Busan Competition

Director Lee Yun-chan is back behind the camera after a 20-year absence, returning to Busan with "The Useful One." The film has been officially selected for the main competition of the 31st Busan International Film Festival, making it the only Taiwanese title among this year's 14 competition entries. It will have its world premiere at the festival and compete for the Busan Award. Unable to contain her excitement upon hearing the news, Lee happily exclaimed, "I'm back!" This marks her third time entering the Busan competition section.

Back in 2005, Lee was selected for the Busan festival with her short film "The Magic Washing Machine" and her debut feature "Fishing Doll," both of which held their international premieres there that year. Now picking up the feature-film director's chair again after nearly two decades, she admitted that being selected for Busan once more is "truly very meaningful," because the festival has always been the starting point for bringing her work to international audiences. She said she is eager to once again feel the passion of the festival and its audiences.

"The Useful One" stars Yang Yi-chan, Chang Shih-ying, Liang Hsiu-shen, Hsieh Chan-jung, and Chen Pin-hsuan. The story begins with a sudden car accident. A young man initially believes he will recover, only to learn that he will permanently lose all sensation in the lower half of his body. His father, unemployed for three years, devotes himself entirely to caring for his son, while his mother clings to the belief that "as long as the child is alive, there is hope." The elderly man responsible for the accident, even after giving up his house and paying monthly compensation, still cannot forgive himself. A single accident forces several people who once had nothing to do with one another to confront their lives anew.

In the aftermath of loss, the young man works hard at rehabilitation and even gradually falls in love with the physical therapist accompanying him, seemingly reclaiming his life little by little. His younger sister, however, begins to realize that this "regained" everyday life appears to have been purchased at the cost of her brother's lower body. Through this, Lee poses a probing question: when a person loses the very thing that once proved their worth, what exactly is left? "The Useful One" will be released across Taiwan in late 2026.

Source: Videoland News — https://news.videoland.com.tw/article/63e759cd-cb09-4ea9-a737-c247835560d5.html