When I first thought of making the film that was to become The Personals," says Taiwanese director Chen Kuo-fu, "I didn't think of anything that can be defined as a theme. I was thinking of seeing a lot of faces - real faces rather than faked faces. And I have faith that something significant about this world we live in will come out of these faces." Based on a book by Chen Yu-hui, The Personals tells the story of a female eye doctor who has been rejected by her married lover. To overcome this, she places an advertisement in a personals column. The response is overwhelming, but the prospects are not promising. She meets all sorts of men: actors in disguise, men with shoe fetishes, old men who bring their sons, desperate men, men looking for one-night stands, and pimps. However, the doctor has a secret objective of her own, which unfolds through the phone messages left on her ex-lover's answering machine.

"Chen Yu-hui's book is a documentation of the author's encounters with men who want to get married," explains Kuo-fu, who says he was also looking for answers to a question of his own: "I am a single man of 40. I am surrounded by friends who stay single. They constantly wonder about this marriage thing."

For added realism "most of the men acting in the film were non-professionals," adds Kuo-fu. "Except for some of the actors who happen to be my friends - and single - the male was collected from all over the place from our adverts or through personal introductions."

Looking at sexuality from a female point of view is still unusual in Chinese-language film, and Kuo-fu welcomed the opportunity. "I believe in examining the opposite sex in order to understand ourselves, to make ourselves humble," he says. "I haven't done enough. I wish to work harder."

For such an important lead role, Chen picked actress Rene Liu - best known for her performance in Sylvia Chang's Xiao Yu - and asked her to write a character diary during the film to help him with the doctor's development. "The leading character was a tough role to play, even for someone of Ms Liu's calibre," says the director. "But she is definitely the best actress in Taiwan." Richard James Havis

Dir: Chen Kuo-fu Cast: Rene Liu, Chen Chao-jung, Wu Pai, Chin Shih-chich, Ku Pao-ming, Shih Yi-nan, Wang Chaoming, Chen Wen-his, Niu Cheng-tse. Scr: Chen Kuo-fu, Chen Shih-chich, based on an original story by Chen Yu-hui Prod: Hsu Li-kung, Hsu, Chiu Shun-ching Prod co: Zoom Hunt Production, Central Motion Picture Corporation Running time: 104mins Int'I sales: Taiwan Film Centre