'Nowhere Man': Netflix's first Mandarin original is the story of a father escaping from death row to rescue his kidnapped son
In a quest to take over Asian audiences, Netflix first took an interest in Korean and Japanese dramas. Following their success, Netflix decided to dabble its feet in original Mandarin content.
'Nowhere Man' is the streaming service's first commissioned Mandarin-language show written and directed by Taiwanese filmmaker DJ Chen and made in Taiwan.
The long-gestating series was described by Erika North, Netflix's director of original content for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as a "wonderful jailbreak thriller with a strong redemptive arc".
'Nowhere Man' follows death row inmate Ah (Joseph Chang) Quan who is awaiting execution in jail. However, after a strange twist of faith, he learns of his son's kidnapping.
Now, in order to save his son and protect his family, he must do everything in his power. He schemes a jailbreak, only to find himself in an even more dangerous collision.
From time to time, Quan falls into a state of half-sleep that supposedly allows him to change things from the past and lead the viewer onto the freeway of redemption.
The streaming service describes the series as "a story woven with moving brotherhood, intricate gangster backdrop, and a breathtaking jail escape."
What drives the story forward is one question that pertains to all of us — do choices dictate our fate; or does fate decide for us?
According to the official synopsis from Netflix, "To Ah Quan (Joseph Chang) and his fellow triad brothers (Jeremiah Zhang, Po-chieh Wang, Ming-fu Zhou), fate seems have left them few choices."
"One mysterious night led the brothers down a convoluted web of love, hate, manipulation, and revenge. As a result, Ah Quan must do whatever it takes to save his family and himself, and finally face the consequences of his past choices."
Along with Joseph Chang, 'Nowhere Man' stars Alyssa Chia and Mavis Fan in lead roles. Director DJ Chen is best known for her directorial debut 'Formula 17', which she made at the age of 23. Released in 2004, the movie went on to become Taiwan's first-ever LGBTQ-themed comedy feature.
Sharing her thoughts on making her first TV series with Netflix, she noted the stark difference in traditional Taiwanese and Netflix production values adding that the Taiwanese industry could be upgraded through Netflix's model.
She added that "they have very strict requirements about what kind of elements, genre, and feelings capture the imagination of the audience," Chen said.
"They also were very open, passionate and willing to do whatever was necessary to see this project grow and thrive." 'Nowhere Man' comes to Netflix on October 31.