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The Taiwanese crime drama film The Abandoned is set to arrive on Netflix on December 31, 2023. The trailer for the crime thriller feature was released on December 1 by the streaming platform, and it offers a short glimpse into the storyline and a few details about the lead character.
According to Netflix, the film is a crime drama that commences with the discovery of a mysterious corpse in a river. This discovery will put forth a “distressed police officer’’ on a mission to investigate the series of murders and uncover the truth.
Given the synopsis, The Abandoned appears interesting to watch. As the critically acclaimed film is set to hit the streaming platform, this article explores the storyline, release date, trailer, and more.
The Abandoned: Trailer storyline explored
According to IMDB, the synopsis of The Abandoned reads,
"Police officer Wu Jie is about to take her own life when the body of a young Thai woman washes ashore. A cut-off finger and a missing heart only confirm that what looked like a tragic accident is a murder, and evidently a gruesome one."
The synopsis further reads,
"As the number of missing women climbs, Wu Jie braces herself, pushes her demons aside and together with her rookie colleague dives into the pattern of grisly clues and unreliable scraps of evidence. The awareness that the killer might strike again gives the investigation the tension of a torturous, incessant drip of water."
The opening scene of the trailer shows Police Officer Wu Jie investigating a murder when a few kids discover a body in the river. The trailer shows Wu Jie being disturbed by looking at the corpse. As the synopsis from the IMDB states, "she is about to take her own life," which means she is suffering from some personal tragedies that will be revealed in the film.
Later, the trailer shows that the killer removed the heart and cut a finger from the dead body. This makes Wu Jie believe that this is not the first murder of the killer, which means the film will show a series of brutal murders. Following that, a doctor who appears to be a psychologist asks Wu Jie, “Do you know who are the most brutal murderers?” Not knowing the answer, she looks puzzled. In the next scene, the psychologist answers, “People who were emotionally hurt.”
The trailer also asks viewers questions regarding the killer’s motive in the film by stating, "Kill for love? Kill for sport?" In the next scene, the killer appears to play a game with the police by giving a clue for each murder he commits.
Given the trailer details, it is expected that The Abandoned will be an intense thriller with a murder mystery as the core of the story.
Ensemble cast and critical reception
Tseng Ying-ting added his directorial vision to The Abandoned. In November 2022, the crime thriller premiered at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. The film also bagged nominations at the 59th Golden Horse Awards for Best New Director, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup and Costume Design, Best Action Choreography, Best Sound Effects, and the FIPRESCI Prize.
Filmmaker Tseng Ying-ting is known for Ye-Zai, his first television film, released in 2013. The feature bagged Golden Harvest Awards for Excellent Screenplay and Best Narrative Film. The Taipei Film Festival also nominated the film for Best Narrative Feature, and the Asia-Pacific Film Festival (2013) selected the film for screening.
The Netflix film stars Janine Chang as Wu Jie, Sajee Apiwong in an unknown role, Hsueh Shih-ling as Huang Dong-qi, Chen Wei-min as Sheriff, and Ethan Juan as Lin You-sheng.
With only a few days left until the debut, viewers anticipating the release date of The Abandoned can stream the Taiwanese film on Netflix on December 31, 2023.
