★★ CATCHPLAY Exclusive: The Making of an Ordinary Woman ★★
At the age of 39, Chen Chia-lin finds herself with no home to call her own, no husband, no child and no car. Tethering on the edge of 40s, her life is as far as she had imagined when she was a child.
Originally from Tainan, she came to Taipei two decades ago for the hope of a better life. But life has other plans, or in this case, no plans for her. The poignant storyline of The Making of an Ordinary Woman (俗女养成记) would have been quite a miserable show, but director Yi-Wen Yen (winner of Golden Bell Best Actress award) peppered plenty of humour and self-deprecating jokes to create an enjoyable series. Here are 4 reasons why you cannot miss this comedy about life, love and family.
A Talented Cast
A good storyline, in the hands of brilliant actors, makes a fantastic show, as is with The Making of an Ordinary Woman. The series stars theatre thespian Ying-Hsuan Hsieh as the Woman in the title, along with James Wen, Li-Yin Yang, Chu-Sheng Chen, Ching-ting Hsia, Wei-Hua Lan, Kang Jen Wu, Bei-an Lo, Peggy Tseng, Ray Fan and Cherry Hsieh. Collectively, the stellar cast consists of 2 Golden horse winners, 6 Golden Bell winners and 2 Golden Bell nominees. If this is not reason enough for you to catch the show, we don’t know what is.
A Relatable Story
What makes the show stand out is how candidly it deals with issues that women today face in their daily lives. The story parallels the lives of the show’s director and lead actress. Both Yen, 41, and Hsieh, 39, are single women who have had successful careers, and are seeking a second chapter in the industry. The Making of an Ordinary Woman is about a woman who’s seeking a new lease of life, having been confident but swerves between that and feeling like a failure. It also deals with society’s expectations of women, and how women truly feel. Any modern single woman of today would resonate with this series.
Be Prepared to Laugh
Hsieh is not a Golden Horse Best Actress by fluke. Her performance as a woman yearning for more in her life after an existential crisis is both poignant and funny. She’s put in one awkward scenario after another, and her reactions are laughter-inducing. Her natural performance endears her to the audiences and the same goes for the supporting cast. The series gives honest, sometimes brutally honest situations but inject humour and comedy to make them more palatable. And it works.
A Whole Lot of Nostalgia
If you are familiar with Taiwan in the 70s and 80s, you’d not want to miss this. The story veers between the adult Chia-lin and her childhood. During flashbacks to her past, you can catch snapshots of Taiwan in its rural times. Juxtaposed with the modernity of the present, it will bring back waves of nostalgia to those who’d lived through the decades in Taiwan.
★ Enjoy the First Episode of The Making of an Ordinary Woman for Free★
