Entertaining Love: Cinephile Pastiche in Twenty-first Century Taiwanese Films

How is cinephilia articulated onscreen, in fiction films, in twenty-first century Taiwanese cinema? In answering this question, I argue that pastiche has become dominant in the island’s recent popular cinema, notably in genre films and in romantic dramas that engage in nostalgic depictions of the past. The article commences with an analysis of film posters that appear onscreen, prompting a discussion of intertextuality, the ways in which contemporary filmmakers engage with traditions of commercial cinema. Tracing the development of onscreen cinephilia in the 2010s, I then contend the importance of pastiche as a defining feature of many recent genre films that are intended to be understood and appreciated as imitations. Finally, I turn to the recent trend of nostalgic youth romances, focusing on the ways in which they pastiche the past – specifically, historical film-viewing experiences – as well as the cross-cultural, cross-media genre of the dorama.