She stabbed a priest, loved a gambler, and freedom keeps slipping through her fingers.
Rebellious girl Lan leaves home at a young age, and the cruel reality forces her to sell her body in order to get by. Her hope of happiness and freedom vanishes the moment she stabs her priest husband. After being released from prison, she meets Blackie, her live-in boyfriend who is a gambler, and Xiu Xiu, a kind-hearted girl who intends to help her lead a normal life. But Lan makes the same mistake again and is back in jail...
Acting
Alyssa Chia's raw, unsentimental descent into resigned survival.
Direction
Huang Yu-Shan's unblinking gaze at women's economic precarity.
Director
Huang Yu-Shan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of 1990s Taiwan New Wave's focus on marginalized women, rarely distributed outside festival circuits. Huang Yu-Shan was among few female directors in this male-dominated movement.
The title's 'cactus' metaphor—thriving in harsh conditions yet still vulnerable—mirrors Lan's resilience and fragility. The spring bloom is brief and deceptive.
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