Lead cast: Hsieh Ying-xuan, Cheryl Yang
Show business is portrayed as a hostile work environment for women yet again in Born for the Spotlight, Netflix’s latest prestige drama series from Taiwan.
Written and directed by actress Yen Yi-wen, who won a Golden Bell award for her previous series, The Making of an Ordinary Woman, the show premiered its first three episodes at the Busan International Film Festival, ahead of its streaming debut next month.
Hsieh Ying-xuan, Cheryl Yang Chin-hua and Chloe Lin Ting-yi headline the 12-part series, which examines the lives of a number of different women at various stages in their careers, all of whom remain bewitched by the allure of fame and fortune even as the industry threatens to consume them.
It is not all doom and gloom, however. The rivalries, rejections, heartbreak and harassment are interspersed by celebratory moments of humour and romance, while the overwhelming message is one of resilience and unity, as these women find strength and solidarity within one another.