Rock Me To The Moon（一首搖滾上月球）

 

Country  Taiwan
Year  2013
Genre  Documentary
Format  Color / Flat / DCP
Runtime  115 min
Status  Completed
Release Date  Oct. 4, 2013 (Taiwan)

Director  HUANG Chia-Chun
Producer  LIN Yu-Hsien

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Awards

2014    Singapore Chinese Film Festival — Official Selection

               Fünf Seen Film Festival/Five Lanes Film Festival (Germany)  — Official Selection

2013　Golden Horse Awards– Best Original Song Award

　　　  Taipei Film Awards – Audience Choice Award

                Hong Kong Asian Film Festival — Official Selection

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Official Trailer

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Synopsis

When a child is born with rare diseases, it is usually the father that abandons the family.

But not the six dads in this film – Wu, Yung, Cheng, Li, Pan and Ouyang. Coming from different backgrounds, they do their best to care for their children while making a living to support the whole family.

These dads certainly need an outlet for the pressure on their mind. They turn to music and form a rock band called “Sleepy Dads,” implying they have long been sleep-deprived for attending to their kids. With an average age of 52, they aim to hit the stage of the highly competitive Sea Music Festival. For this over-aged amateur band, it is as difficult as Apollo missions to the moon. Nonetheless, these fathers show no fear because they already lead their daily life on the edge.

With incurable rare diseases, their children’s premature demise is inevitable and unpredictable. Such realization drives these fathers to live life to the fullest with their children while they can. There is nothing these fathers cannot conquer because their children’s happiness is their greatest mission of all.

Director’s Statement

“Men shall not weep” is a well-known Chinese saying that holds most men in Taiwan from revealing their emotions. Just like the moon, it always shows its bright side while keeps its dark side hidden. Long-term repression leads to fragility. Consequently men tend to have emotional breakdown when misfortune befalls, which explains why so many fathers abandon their families when having a child with rare diseases.

Nonetheless the six dads in this film devote their lives and hearts to their kids. I first met them when I worked as a volunteer in Taiwan Foundation for Rare Disorders. Not until then did I know there were still so many incurable diseases. A large number of people were suffering and waiting for their untimely death because there’s nothing they could do. I was utterly shocked.

I can hardly imagine how tough it is to take care of disabled children. These six fathers assume the responsibilities and strive to be optimistic all along. They used to swallow all the sorrows in private, but now they have music to release their feelings. They not only let go of the weight on their shoulder but also find support from one another.

“Sleepy Dads” inspires to re-think how men should handle their inner feelings; and most of all, they truly rock my world with their immense love for their families.

Regarding the film title, I’ve tried to associate these dads with the moon because I always like the jazz classic “Fly me to the Moon.” People say that when Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969, this song was played in the space cabin. It is generally taken as a romantic love song, but I find it well applied to the father-child relationships in my film. These fathers love their children so much that they want to take them everywhere, even to the moon! If space travel is possible, I believe these fathers will happily watch their children play among the stars.

Director HUANG Chia-Chun

Nicknamed “O-turn (brown sugar in Taiwanese),” HUANG Chia-Chun got his master degree from National Taiwan University of Arts. In addition to TV and commercials, he is engaged in screenplay writing and documentary film shooting.

He has a sharp eye to observe people and to detect social issues. His works are warm and simple yet always touch people deeply. His first film, “They are Flying,” won the Best Documentary Film Award in 2008’s Taipei Film Festival. “Rock Me to the Moon” is his latest work and is nominated for Taipei Film Award in 2013.

Filmography

2011 Hi Baby (嗨！寶貝)
2008 They Are Flying (飛行少年)

Producer  LIN Yu-Hsien

LIN Yu-Hsien, a director, screenwriter, and editor in Taiwan. He has been known for his close studies on humanity and society as well as his sense of humor that fills his stories with warmth. In 2005, Lin shot his first full-length documentary “Jump! Boys,” which was critically acclaimed and garnered the best documentary award in the Golden Horse Film Awards.

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Band Instructor   Vocal of Quarterback– Spark

Formed in 1993 and three times being nominated for the Golden Melody Awards, Quarterback has been one of the most well-known rock bands in Taiwan.

Quarterback wrote the single “Rock me to the Moon” for Sleepy Dads and offered them the chance to be the warm up band in their concert. Quarterback’s vocal, Spark, was Sleepy Dads’ mentor during the preparation for the Sea Music Festival. Spark gave these dads music lessons and helped build their confidence along the way.