The Receptionist

The Receptionist (Chinese: 接線員) is a 2016 drama film directed by London-based Taiwanese director Jenny Lu, starring Teresa Daley and Chen Shiang-chyi. Inspired by a true story, the film follows the lives of Asian migrant women who had arrived in London in hopes of a better life but end up taking jobs in an illegal massage parlor to survive.[4] The film premiered at the Golden Horse Film Festival on 20 November 2016.[5]

The Receptionist
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJenny Lu
Produced byLi Ya-mei
Jimmy Huang
Chiou Zi-ning
Peter J Kirby
Written byJenny Lu
Yeh Yi-wen
StarringTeresa Daley
Chen Shiang-chyi
Music byLu Lu-ming
CinematographyGareth Munden
Edited byHoping Chen
Production
companies
Uncanny Films
Dark Horse Image
Distributed byMirror Stage Films (Taiwan)
Release date
Running time
100 minutes
CountryTaiwan
United Kingdom
LanguageMandarin
English
Taiwanese
Budget£300,000[1]
Box officeNT$3 million (Taiwan)[2][3]

Premise

Tina is a Taiwanese graduate living in London with her British student architect boyfriend. Struggling to find work during the financial crisis of 2007–2008, Tina takes a job as a receptionist at an illegal massage parlour. As she slowly gets to know the women who work there, she is forced to question her values and morals.

Cast
  • Teresa Daley as Tina
  • Chen Shiang-chyi as Sasa
  • Amanda Fan as Mei
  • Josh Whitehouse as Frank
  • Sophie Gopsill as Lily
  • Teng Shuang as Anna

Production

The film received funding from Taiwan's Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, as well as through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.[6]

Release

The film has been an official selection at the Edinburgh International Film Festival,[7] the Raindance Film Festival,[8] the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival[9] the Durban International Film Festival,[10] the Milan and Salento Film Festivals and the 40th Asian American International Film Festival in New York City.[11]

Soundtrack

Promotional song
No.TitleWriter(s)PerformerLength
1."The Real World 真實世界"Ball, JieBall04:19

Reception

Critical response

The Receptionist (Jie Xian Yuan) has received an 88% rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian lauded it as "a valuable, intelligent debut."[12] Elizabeth Kerr in The Hollywood Reporter gave it more mixed reviews.[13]

Accolades
Award Category Recipients Result
54th Golden Horse Awards Best Supporting Actress Chen Shiang-chyi Nominated
Milan Film Festival Best Feature Film The Receptionist Nominated
Salento Film Festival Best Feature Film The Receptionist Nominated
40th AAIFF Emerging Director Award Jenny Lu Won

References
  1. Sui, Cindy (23 June 2017). "Film exposes London's sex industry underworld". BBC News.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-03-07. Retrieved 2017-03-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "【開眼電影網】接線員 The Receptionist". atmovies.com.tw. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  4. 三立新聞網. "金馬影后陳湘琪演妓女入戲太深 殺青才知得罪全劇組 - 娛樂 - 三立新聞網 SETN.COM". setn.com. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  5. "The Receptionist". www.goldenhorse.org.tw. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  6. "UK-Taiwan co-production 'The Receptionist' wraps shoot". screendaily.com. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  7. "The Receptionist (Jie Xian Yuan)". www.edfilmfest.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  8. "The Receptionist". calendar.raindancefestival.org. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  9. "台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival | The Receptionist". www.goldenhorse.org.tw (in Chinese). Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  10. "Durban International Film Festival - The Receptionist (Jie Xian Yuan)". Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  11. (Taiwan), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (2017-07-24). "Three Taiwan works to be screened at New York film festival - Taiwan Today". Taiwan Today. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  12. Bradshaw, Peter (2018-07-20). "The Receptionist review – an intimate voyage into London's underworld". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  13. "'The Receptionist': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
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