FAMILYLAND 家庭樂園

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts…” 

 

FAMILYLAND  tells the story of Nana Lin, a ten year old girl living in Taiwan with a loving mother and father. She is especially close to her father, who makes her lunches, takes her to cello recitals, and promises to take her to Disneyland. However, after Nana’s cello recital, her father receives a strange call from work. That very night, he packs his bags and leaves for a work trip… and never comes back. 

 

Ten years later, we find Nana in the green room of a concert hall preparing to go on stage for her most important performance yet. Suddenly, just as she’s supposed to go on stage, she comes across a sponsored commercial on social media. It’s an ad for a family rental company called Familyland. As Nana watches, we’re transported into a Japanese-inspired musical dance number where Familyland actors dance through revolving set pieces of life's most important family events. Nana’s father is one of the dancers in the commercial. We learn that Nana’s mother had rented him for ten years in order to give Nana a complete family unit. 

 

The commercial ends, and Nana suddenly finds her reality blending with the commercial.  As she is ushered onstage, the actors from the commercial begin to pop up in the audience and amongst the stage crew. Nana’s father is one of them, and presents Nana with a chance to continue their rental session. Soon, Nana must choose the kind of role she wants others to play in her life – as well as the role she wants to play in theirs.