Dead Talents Society: It's Not About How You Start, It's How You Finish

 Recently, I've been watching and reading some stuff that has ranged from bad to great. While I am leaning toward doing an eventual write-up on Kazuki Hiraoka's manga, The Urban Legend Files. Today's piece is going to be about the Taiwanese Horror-Comedy film, Dead Talents Society, that was directed by John Hsu. A movie that has instantly become one of my favorites. It's charming, it's melancholic, it's hilarious. Just a complete package of a film that has earned its critical acclaim. DTS makes me question whether people watched it when it came out, as it should've garnered way more awards. This movie deserves the world and then some.

But why does DTS deserve so much? Obviously, there's a lot of angles to attack this idea from. Yet, the best one for me would be the character writing and performances. These key factors make the whole concept and execution work. Without them, DTS might've just been another film. But before I get to the crew of the Lucky Hotel, I'm going to give a quick rundown on what DTS is all about. 

As one can infer from the title, Dead Talents Society is about the Dead and their talent for existing beyond the realm of the living. They are what most would call Urban Legends, and their time in the afterlife depends on people remembering them. While there are many Ghosts who do not participate in haunting the living, this film focuses on the ones that do. So, it's interesting to think about this concept when you start to consider the characters who exist based on offerings, or the ones that don't participate as the Urban Legend itself.

The easiest comparable to this film to me is something like Monster's, Inc. You have your star monster, and you build your scenario around a particular strength. This can apply to a particular room, or event, or whatever. It's all about building the legend and getting the execution down to a science. The big difference between DTS and Monster's Inc. would be the focus on the people doing the scaring, and not Boo. A decision that paid off extremely well. Now, with the premise set, let's look at the crew from the Lucky Hotel. 

Typically, I would start with the main character. However, I think a descending order of characters would work better in this instance. Building up towards the main event in a sense. And what better way to start than with Camilla (Played by Bai Bai), the best friend of our protagonist, The Rookie (Played by Gingle Wang). She's just as awkward and clumsy as her friend in the beginning, but slowly settled into being a key proponent of the crew. And even moreso as a friend who's willing to go the extra mile in order to ensure the success of her pal's endeavors. 

This spanned from getting The Rookie to audition for a Haunting Agency to helping create the look that would define the legend. But above all of this, the aspect that stood out to me with Camilla was her relationship with her Dad. It's the thing that keeps her around without having to resort to haunting. But more importantly, it highlighted a strong familial bond. I found the lavish gift giving to be incredibly sweet and heartwarming. It showcased a normalcy in still spoiling a child who would in theory, never be able to use the gifts. Yet he did it anyway. So, I feel like Camilla's character emulated that same selflessness when trying to help out The Rookie. Like Father, like daughter if you would. 

All in all, Camilla added some fun and quirky elements to the dynamic alongside a dash of compassion. Much like Kouji (Played by Soso Tseng), the Swiss Army Knife of the Lucky Hotel Crew. Kouji could do it all. From make-up to costuming to stunt-doubling to set design. In turn, much of the pressure was alleviated from the talent as they waited for their queues. A great example of this could be seen in The Rookie's set-up when people would enter the elevator. Kouji would slip the cursed phone in the pocket of one of the targets, and then make sure the right floor button got pushed. 

Both instances of this scene were really funny, but I think the first time they did it was the funniest. As Kouji had to get into a button-mashing battle against a target. A battle of attrition that would be swayed by Camilla's quick thinking. And that's the gist of his contributions, reliable and persistent. And while there's not much to his living life like Camilla, it was nice to see that his memory lived on in an MMO with people who would welcome him back like a regular at a bar. It's too sincere of a moment within the film to feel half-hearted. It just goes to show you that sometimes those relationships you build on the internet are more real than you realize. 

From Kouji, we move on to the leader of the group, Makoto (Played by Chen Bolin). A goofy, lovestruck man with an eye for talent. And much like Kouji, Makoto had a reliableness when working the Scares that it felt like any screw-ups could be alleviated. But I think the thing that stood out the most to me was the confidence in Catherine (Played by Sandrine Pinna) and The Rookie. Even with some of that confidence being tied to the hope that they could secure the fees needed to continue Haunting, it still felt genuine. He believed in The Rookie when she was a loser, and he believed in Catherine when he knew that her time was coming to an end as a headliner. 

And that's just the thing with Makoto. His charm was laid in that ability to believe in others, even when he couldn't do the same when he was alive. Just a bit depressing to learn that he died before he could rebound from his failures. But that failure became a guiding light, and eventually a sense of comfort for the Lucky Hotel Team. As they enjoyed his goofy pop idol music video, especially Catherine. The beholder of Makoto's love and affection. 

But who exactly was Catherine? Well, she was the Woman in Room 414 that waited for her former lover to return before she eventually killed herself. While we don't get to see the actual death of Catherine like some of the others, I think the point was made when she performed her routine. Which was definitely a sight to behold as she bashed her head-in before giving chase to the unlikely resident of the room that day. Doing a backwards crab walk into a pop-up face reveal for some added flair. 

Yet even this doesn't sell what Catherine was able to achieve in other scenarios where she would perform flips over tables or baseball slides past victims in order to get ahead of them. Like, Catherine exuded more tenacity than most would be willing to go for when attempting to achieve any level of quality. But that's what made Catherine standout so much in her professionalism. 

However, the aspect I enjoyed most over everything was her character arc. Her time at the top had left her with a rough exterior. Accepting only the most surefire ways to get things done, in her mind. Yet when she got upended by her former student, Jessica (Played Eleven Yao). Catherine became more complacent until The Rookie came along. You could see over time that Catherine clearly knew of The Rookie's shortcomings, but was also aware of something brewing inside. And she just needed a little push. A push that would cause Catherine to reconsider her role, and the changing of times. 

And the times they would be a changing when The Rookie appeared before Makoto at the talent audition. As this seemingly hapless, talentless loser would soon make her Legend known. But that's not before struggling coming to terms with the idea that she may actually be worth something in her life and death. An intriguing direction for a character arc that I ended up liking way more than I could've imagined. Because it's not just about finding yourself, or being this outcast, there's layers.

It stemmed from not getting results from any endeavor or hobby. It stemmed from being an afterthought. Not being given a direction, but the simple goal of doing your best. Yet, what does that mean when you look over and see that a sibling has achieved so much while you have gained nothing. The Rookie's story was heartbreaking, and her death being the result of latching onto a fake award, really drove a stake through my heart. And then you couple that with the award being made out of love from her Father (Played by Na Wei-hsun) who just wanted her to believe in herself no matter how small the prize. Just no other way to describe it other than tragic. 

Despite not living up to her own standards in life, The Rookie eventually landed on the right path in making her own legend. All it took was chipping at it slowly, and then getting some luck to go her way. Which is more common than one can imagine. It's about the fight in the dog, not the dog in the fight. And The Rookie had that dog in her. If that dog could melt the heart of Catherine when she was spiraling, then the sky's the limit. 

Ultimately, Dead Talents Society fucking rules. It's got emotional highs and lows, well timed comedy, and a lovable gang. There's not much to dislike about a film that gets everything right. Like, it's so well put together that it's mind-boggling that there's no physical release. I would love to know about the work that went into making it. DTS has definitely made me more interested in the Comedy side of Horror than any other previous film I've seen. So, the expectation is high but not insurmountable. Because at the end of the day it's not about how you start, it's how you finish. 

And remember to Free Palestine, Free Congo, Free Sudan, Free Venezuela and to Free Lebanon from the onslaught of their oppressors. Never stop talking about them. They think that we don't care, but we see everything. Never forget that. They are trying to suppress our voices because they matter, remember that. There may have been a ceasefire in Gaza, but Palestine still needs to be completely free.