R.O.C.
Republic of Casino

Synopsis 

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A boy raised in the mountains is sent down, trying to escape a fate that feels like a curse. Like a wild horse, he charges into the stock market casino of 1980s Taipei, believing that with enough speed and luck, he can trade it all for freedom. But in an era where everyone is desperate to rise, not losing becomes its own kind of race—and he runs faster, harder, until he’s no longer running for himself. In the end, he becomes a racehorse, tamed by capital, foolishly chasing a freedom that has no shape.

 

一個在山裡長大的男孩正華，被迫離開家，逃離如詛咒般的家族命運。他像一匹渴望自由的野馬，在眼花撩亂的城市裡尋找回家的路。卻在這趟遙遠的路途中，變成了一匹被資本馴化的賽馬，傻傻地追著那個沒有形狀的「自由」。

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Director Statement​

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My friends and I used to joke that real freedom meant being rich enough to do whatever we want. But then I got introduced—through some friends of friends—to people who were already there, financially free. Strangely, when they opened up about the things money still couldn’t fix, I realized: even with all the wealth in the world, you might still not be free.

 

So... what is freedom, really?

 

財富自由，經常是我和同溫層的友人聚會時，互相自我調侃也紛紛默認的真正自由人生。直到在朋友的跨層級引薦下，認識了幾位已經財富自由的新朋友。當他們聊起自己生活中，那些連豐厚的財富也無法突破的限制後。我才意識到，財富自由也不能帶來完全的自由。

 

所以，自由到底是什麼?

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Target Audience

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For those aged 25 to 40 who bet on life — and still ask what freedom means after losing it all.

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給25到40歲之間，習慣下注人生的人，或已經輸光一切還想問「自由是什麼」的你。