The Fishbowl Girl

Hung Yi WU • 2024

Wei, a young lesbian, embarks on a graduation trip to Bangkok, Thailand with her Taiwanese classmates. Her world is turned upside down when she witnesses an intimate interaction between her crush and a male friend, leaving her feeling confused and disheartened. In an attempt to lift her spirits, she decides to visit a Thai massage parlor with the encouragement of her male classmates. There, she is introduced to Thailand’s soapy massage for the first time and hesitantly selects a masseuse from a “fishbowl,” a room where young women await the customers’ selection behind a glass partition. For Wei, this marks her initial foray into the world of sexual exploration as a “client.” Due to her female biological identity, the Thai bathhouse experience doesn’t unfold as beautifully as she had envisioned. However, with her body fully exposed to another woman, she confronts her awakened desires on her path of self-discovery in a foreign culture.