Blades and brotherhood: actors Liu Hsiu-fu and Cao Yu-ning about preparation for the fencing film “Pierce”

SINGAPORE – As an actor and model with no fencing experience, Liu Hsiu-fu used a mental trick to memorize complex moves.

“I started to see fencing as a form of dance,” says the 27-year-old, explaining his approach to the extended match scenes in the upcoming local film Pierce.

“Once I thought of fencing as a series of dance steps, everything fell into place.”

Taiwanese co-stars Liu and Tsao Yu-ning, 30, were in town to promote the psychological thriller and spoke to The Straits Times on Oct 30 at the showroom of Singapore furniture brand Castlery on Orchard Road.

The film, which opens in Singapore cinemas on November 7, is about a young swordsman Zijie (Liu) and his relationship with his older brother Zihan, an ex-convict (Cao).

Singaporean writer and director Nelicia Low, a former national fencer, shot the film in Taiwan and won the Best Director award at the 2024 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic. The story explores themes of brotherhood, memory, and the complex nature of truth through the lens of competitive fencing.