The highly anticipated political thriller series "Zero Day" is set to drop on Netflix on August 2. The show explores what a Chinese invasion of Taiwan might look like. It's stirred controversy in Taiwan, with some saying it's promoting hysteria over a potentially deadly scenario, but people on the street of Taipei told TaiwanPlus that just watching the trailer gave them a new perspective on how such a situation could change their lives.
00:00Bank shut down. Panic spreading. Taiwanese troops bracing for war.
00:09This isn't breaking news. It's Zero Day, a highly anticipated new drama now available to stream.
00:22That imagines what could unfold if a conflict between China and Taiwan broke out.
00:26The show is told in 10 parts, each with a different Taiwanese director. Among them, Yi Liu, who says he was inspired by conversations he had while living overseas.
00:37I was reading the book before, there may be some foreign students who are more concerned about us.
00:44They say, hey, are we going to be getting ready? Are we going to be ready?
00:49These information are always coming.
00:53Now, I think we are very happy that we can film any of the things we want to do. We won't be paid.
01:04Zero Day unfolds around a single moment when war breaks out and builds its narrative from there, causing some critics to say it's promoting hysteria over a potential Chinese military invasion.
01:15But people in Taipei say just watching the show's trailer gave them a new perspective on such a situation and how it could change their lives.
01:24The team behind Zero Day says that while they want to raise awareness of the threat from China, the show is mainly for entertainment.
01:52We are not a public media media media, and we are not a public media media or a public school media media. Some younger Taiwanese are hoping viewers will give Zero Day a fair shot.
01:59Some younger Taiwanese are hoping viewers will give Zero Day a fair shot.
02:13They say it could spark fresh conversations
02:15and maybe ease some of the political and social heat that's been swirling around it.
02:29When we encounter a big deal, if we don't have any problems in the world,
02:35that's a more dangerous situation.
02:37Set against Taiwan's current security anxieties,
02:40Zero Day may not be everyone's first choice of summer watch.
02:44Blending thrilling dramatic tension with realism,
02:47it asks viewers to confront an increasingly possible scenario,
02:50one that many would rather ignore.
02:53Joseph Fu, Millie Hughes and Adelbrow for Taiwan Plus.
