‘Encore Martha’: An Untold Tale of First Love

GL Recaps Taiwan

2023-07-31
14:25

What if after thirty years, you’ll have a second chance with your first love? Is love really sweeter the second time around?

‘Encore Martha‘ is inspired by the real-life story of Huang Xiao -Ning, the female Taiwanese Elvis Presley. Featuring Fang Wen-Lin and Tammy Darshana-Lai and directed by Natasha Sung. The film depicts the story of Uncle Martha and her first love, Mandy. Uncle Martha is going about her usual business when she suddenly meets her long-lost first love whom she still dreams of at night––Mandy. As the two have coffee, Martha learns of some “good “news––Mandy’s husband has passed away. Her uneventful life is suddenly given purpose when she decides that she wants her back. But it has been 30 years since they last saw each other, and reconnecting proves to be no small challenge. Will Uncle Martha be able to sing an encore with her first love, or will she be doomed to singing the same old tune of heartbreak, over and over again?

WARNING: Spoiler alert! Read at your own risk.

The film opens with Uncle Martha finishing her last song on her set in the pub where she works as a professional balladeer. She went to the bar to get some drinks, and she noticed a young girl looking at her with admiration in her eyes. She asked the bartender to give that beautiful girl a nice drink. While drinking, she told the girl that she looked like her first love. And she told her that nothing lasts forever and that she should love before the moment is gone. The young lady answers that poetry is out and selfies are in. As they posed on her phone’s camera to take a selfie, Martha saw Mandy, her first love.

Martha told Mandy that the young lady was her sister, and she told the young girl to go back inside the pub. They told each other that they still looked the same. Martha asks her to come inside to have a drink, but the latter refuses, saying that it’s getting late. She asked for her Messenger account, but she told her she left her phone, so Martha told her to search for her ID, ‘Encore Martha’. They met at a restaurant after that night. Mandy brought her grandson, and Martha told the kid to call her Uncle. She ordered their favorite coffee and put two teaspoons of sugar in it, but the latter told her she was not drinking coffee anymore, so she ordered two orange juices instead.

As their conversation continues, Martha asks her if she still works at the kindergarten, and the latter says she quit after her daughter gave birth to her grandson, and unlike her, she’s still singing at the pub, and she thinks she has loads of girlfriends. But Martha told her that no one compares to her. She asked about her husband, but the latter became sad after hearing his name. She told her that her husband passed away. After receiving a message from her daughter, Mandy told her that they needed to go home, and the latter asked her to meet again soon.

They meet again at a bar, and as they started drinking wine, they reminisce about some memories from the past. Mandy told her that she found her charming when she rode a motorcycle back then. After drinking, they walk while singing in the middle of the night. Their next meet-up is when Mandy introduces her to his family. Over the dinner, Mandy’s daughter asks his brother why he called them for a family dinner. His brother told them that he just felt that their mother was sad and that maybe she needed company. And suddenly, Martha told everyone that she was single and that she could accompany her. Everybody got shocked, but they continued eating and ignored what she said.

They met again near the lake. Martha told her that maybe her son was right. She tells her that she shouldn’t live alone and that she can move in with her so she won’t get bored, and she assures her that she can take care of her. But the latter told her that in the end, maybe she’d be the one taking care of her. She asked her to watch her perform in the pub, but the latter suddenly told her that maybe they shouldn’t get in touch. Martha felt shocked by what she said. She turned off the music and asked her why she had invited her to their family dinner. Mandy confessed to her that she was afraid that their relationship will affect her relationship with her family and that people will talk about them. Feeling devastated, Martha told her that she never imagined that after giving her up to Chen, she would have to give her up to his son too. Mandy asks for more time, but the latter refuses, telling her she can’t wait for another thirty years.

Martha had a drink again at the pub. Her bartender friend gave her chips for free, and she gave them to her because she’s an old tomboy who’s going through a breakup. They laugh at first but end up talking seriously. Her friend told her that first love is the best because it doesn’t last, and when it does, disappointment follows. She told her that her first love hurt her the most, and that’s why she became a player. After that night, Martha decided to talk to Mandy’s son. She told her about their past, and her son was shocked to hear that her mother had a relationship with her. She showed him some photos of them in the past and told him that they had planned to run away before, but Mandy couldn’t leave her family.

Martha showed him the plane ticket that she had kept for years. And Mandy’s son is shocked when he sees that the year that the plane ticket was bought is the year when his parents met. Martha confessed to him that a few months after their breakup, his mother told her that she would try to date some guys, and she let her. She tried to convince herself that it would make her happy, but she knows she’s not. Mandy made her parents and society happy, but she is not. At his wedding photoshoot, her son asks her if she misses his dad, and she says that his dad is a good man and he took care of her. He also asks her if she wants to fall in love again and says that he’s concerned that she will grow old alone.

The film ends with Uncle Martha talking to her audience before singing ‘My One and Only Love’. And before the end of her song, she saw Mandy, her unforgotten first love, waving her hands without her wedding ring. A sign that finally, after thirty years of waiting, they can finally end up together.

The film shows us that falling in love always comes at the perfect time. Sometimes, we have to wait for years before we can finally love freely. And in the end, it will always be worth the wait.

Watch ‘Encore Martha’ in GagaOOlala.