Lives of Crime

Once convicted for fraud, Qiu-Tao (female, 59) now labors to make ends meet. She still can’t escape poverty at such an old age, until she discovers that the only way to turn things around is to begin a scam on her ex-husband and his company, who had been lying to and exploiting her for years.

Zhen-Shu (female, 30) has tried and failed to pass the judicial examination for many years. She manages to rediscover her passion in life through erotic massage. However, she becomes involved in a “relationship” between herself and the masseur.

A-Ju (female, 55) and Shi-Ying (female, 38) are both victims of domestic abuse. Years ago, A-Ju cut off her husband’s penis to put an end to her years-long nightmare. Now, Shi-Ying is forced to kidnap her son to escape from her husband. When the two women cross paths, they have to rely on each other to escape a life so absurd and frustrating.

To fit in with her peers at a private school, streamer Mimi (female, 15) acts cute on livestreams to win recognition and popularity. However, she gradually sells herself out and loses sight of who she is, becoming an accomplice to the bullies in the real world.

Pushed to the edge by life’s unforgiving arithmetic and fragile human nature, these women, whose lives briefly intertwine, are forced to cross legal and moral lines to fight for a way out.

Directors: YANG Chieh, HSIEH Pei-ju, HUANG Dan-chi, and LEE I-hui. Screenwriter: WANG Jen-fang. Producers: Estela Valdivieso Chen and Hazel WU.