AN INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY CINEMA SHOWING A DIVERSE SELECTION OF HIGH QUALITY FILMS.
Actors dress up as animals in this inventive Taiwanese curiosity from 1961, in which the happy lives of the forest creatures are shaken when a pack of wolves suddenly attacks. Amidst this threat, the Sika Deer is busy fighting with the Elk for the love of the demure Miss Deer, which arouses the jealousy of the manipulative Foxy. Apparently intended as a children’s film, The Fantasy of Deer Warrior now has queer camp appeal for its animal cosplay, while some viewers have sensed political undertones. Is it anti-communist? Anti-nationalist? Or just an ingeniously designed and costumed adventure? Whimsically incorporating elements from Aesop’s Fables, Zhang Ying’s film is a uniquely imaginative gem.
