HBO’s new Asia Original thriller-comedy series Twisted Strings 良辰吉時 premiering with two episodes on Sunday March 27, 9pm on HBO GO and HBO (Astro Ch 411). Executive produced by acclaimed filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien (侯孝賢) (The Assassin), the seven-episode Taiwan satire anthology follows with a new instalment every Sunday and the final two episodes air back-to-back on April 24.
Twisted Strings follows a series of bizarre deaths in the fictional Taiping City over seven separate stories across parallel time and space. While each story can be viewed independently, it intersects with others in unobvious ways. A funeral, a missing body, a dangerous game, a kidnapping; real and unreal, these incidents are woven in Wu Yuenu’s memories, converging in the mysterious Sailing Castle, where the boundary between fiction and reality is blurred. At the end of the seventh episode, all the clues will come together to reveal the whole story.
Award-winning actress, director and screenplay writer Sylvia Chang (Love Education, 20 30 40) plays Wu Yuenu, the constant linking together the series. Chang said, “This series is full of surprises and humanity, viewers will definitely love it.” Apart from Chang, most key actors such as Lee Kang-sheng, Nikki Hsieh and Hsueh Shih-ling play more than one role across the different episodes.
Conceptualized and written over three years by Golden Horse-nominated director Huang Xi, Twisted Strings aims to see the humour of life and death. Hou who is executive producer of a series for the very first time said, “The Twisted Strings team includes staff I have worked with over the years in art direction, production and editing, as well as the actors. Matching them with director Huang Xi’s script and narrative technique will lead to a drama of unique style and presentation. In addition, our collaborative effort with international investors makes Twisted Strings a rarity among Taiwanese dramas.”
The anthology series features an ensemble cast including Golden Horse-winning actor Lee Kang-sheng (李康生) (Stray Dogs, Days); Nikki Hsieh (謝欣穎) (I Weirdo , Reflections); Yo Yang (楊祐寧) (Ex-boyfriend, Formula 17), Yao Yi-Ti (姚以緹) (The Gangs, The Oscars and The Walking Dead); Duan Chun-Hao (段鈞豪) (We Are Champions); Hsueh Shih-Ling (薛仕凌) (HBO Asia Original Workers, Born Into Loving Hands); as well as Romeo Tan (陳羅密歐) (Soul Old Yet So Young) and Aileen Tan (陳麗貞) (Hello Ms Driver) from Singapore.
Presented by HBO Asia and CATCHPLAY, Twisted Strings is produced by CATCHPLAY’s SCREENWORKS ASIA, in partnership with Taiwan’s Bossdom and Singapore’s Mediacorp.
Episode Guide for Twisted Strings
Episode 1: Monday
Debut date: Sunday, March 27, 9pm on HBO GO and HBO (Astro Ch 411)
Cast: Lee Kang-sheng, David Wu, Duan Chun-hao, Yao Yi-ti, Tracy Chou, Michael JQ Huang
Lying behind the mourning hall, Guo Boxiang’s body is ready for the funeral. Perhaps to save his children the trouble or to reassure himself, he made all the arrangements before he died. His children only need to follow the funeral director’s instructions, but they dodge the responsibility and cut corners. The funeral director is the only one who makes sure that everything goes well. Eventually, Guo’s children seem satisfied but would the deceased rest in peace? Is this a perfect ending or the beginning of a series of strange incidents?
Episode 2: Tuesday
Debut date: Sunday, March 27, 10pm on HBO GO and HBO (Astro Ch 411)
Cast: Hsueh Shih-ling, Nikki Hsieh, Yao Yi-ti, Jason King, Chung Cheng-chun, JC Lin
At Hong Yunlong’s father’s birthday party, he, his sister and several of their childhood friends are drinking together. When they decide to play the treasure hunt game they used to play, Hong Yunlong forces Wang Sijie, his friend’s girlfriend who he fancies, to team up with himself. While trying to find the items during the game, Hong and Wang run into a series of strange coincidences as if their hunt is jinxed. The last task brings them to the cemetery, where a brutal truth buried for years is unveiled…
Watch Twisted Strings 《良辰吉時》from March 27, 9pm on HBO GO and HBO (Astro Ch 411).