Stray dogs: the byproducts of owners' abandonment; stray people: the derelicts of society. What about gods? In this very era of weakened hearts and waning faith, even gods have fallen to be wandering vagabonds!

Just as its palidromic title suggests, God Man Dog attempts to portray the three levels of life and the straying of the flesh, the soul, and the spirit. Starting from the story of a man who picks up and mends abandoned religious relics and statues, the plotline follows the problematic lives of different individuals from different sectors of the society: an aboriginal couple struggling with poverty and alcoholism, a homeless teenager that wanders on the street in loneliness, and a newly wed middle-class couple suffering from depression and emotional stress. Their unrelated lives intersect suddenly in a single car accident and are violently forced into drastically different paths?

While the movie does offer a peek into the exotic melting pot of religions in Taiwan, it is a rich satire of Taiwan's current societal problems in an optimistic and most humorous way. Through the lens, the audience can fully see the love that the director expresses towards her home country, and most importantly, the hope and energy that she sees in humanity especially in the face of pain and adversity.

Genre: Drama
Length: 119 min
Director: Singing Chen
Cast: Jack Kao, Tarcy Su, Han Chang, Hsiao-Han Tu, Ulau Ugan, Jonathan Chang

Awards and Honors

2008 Berlinale Tagesspiegel Readers' Prize
2008 Fribourg International Film Festival E-Charger Award
2008 Rome Asian Film Festival - Best Actress
2008 Hong Kong International Film Festival
2008 Creteil International Women's Film Festival - Best Film Nominee
2008 Barcelona Asian Flim Festival - Best Emerging Director Nominee
44th Annual Golden Horse Award Nominee
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Film Editing
- Best Art Direction

About the Director

Director Singing Chen started shooting short films during her university years and graduated from Fu Jen Catholic University with a degree in Broadcasting. Her first 16mm feature (Wo Jiao A-Ming La) won many independent film awards in Taiwan and was an official selected film at many international film festivals. Her work especially focuses on topics related to humanity and minority. Not only does she have great insights to current issues in our society, she tells stories with lively characters in her films. Her films are full of vitality and have touched many hearts.