42岁的大禅寺住持根本一彻和人们思维定式中的僧人不太一样，他同时还是一个狂热的朋克青年。现在他的工作主要是通过一种独特的方法来帮助寻求自杀的人找到生活的意义。过去的十年中，根本一彻已经成功让成百上千的人放弃轻生，重返生活。然而，他自己却承受着另一种煎熬。他的电话几乎没有一刻停歇，他所在的寺庙拜访者络绎不绝，每天都保持着高强度的工作状态。由于对工作和自己生活的混淆，他的身体和家庭渐渐地出现了问题。

I was born in Taiwan, grew up in the United States, worked extensively in China and now live in Taipei. This mix of experiences has given me a front-row seat to the complex, decades-long dance between these nations. Lately, the world is paying considerably more attention to my homeland, especially after the former U.S. House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, visited in August 2022.

Kinmen, also known as Quemoy, is a group of islands governed by Taiwan that were the front lines of the first and second Taiwan Straits Crises decades ago. They lie just a few miles from mainland China, and these days, locals are unsure what escalating tensions mean for the future.

Taiwanese voices are often drowned out by Chinese and American narratives, overshadowed by the global power plays going on around us. Few people outside the region understand what life is actually like for the Taiwanese people caught in between two superpowers. I made this documentary to show life in Taiwan through the eyes of the people who live there, including me.

At this moment, as we struggle to make sense of the horrors of war, I hope this documentary can play a small part in advocating for peace.

- Film and Text by S. Leo Chiang