戀戀風塵 - Dust In The Wind

戀戀風塵 (Dust In The Wind) is an 1986 film out of Taiwan. The movie stars Wang Chien-wen and Xin Shufen. The movie is directed by acclaimed Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien.

Two young high schoolers are best friends growing up. They both decide to move to Taipei to make a "better" life for themselves. When things get rough, the male protagonist goes to the army. After being released from the army, he finds that the girl is now married to an local post man. Devastated, he much pick up life without her and live in regret.

What can I say, it is an Hou Hsiao-Hsien film through and through. Look takes, lots of walking, lots of seeing people do things, and far shots. Hou does far shots because he uses new people that are "shy" in front of the camera. The far shots are for their benefit. They can relax and just do the scene. For us, we go, "why are they so far away, I can hardly see their faces!" In this movie, we get plenty of that. Far shots, people waiting for things. It is like watching a slice of some people's lives through the cafe window. But I love it. I get ready for Hou's film. I say to myself, what is he trying to say. I liked this film a lot because it was from the 80s and it was during that time that Taiwan started to make a name for itself internationally for its computer smarts.

珈琲時光 - Café Lumière

珈琲時光 (Café Lumière) is an 2003 film out of Japan and Taiwan. The movie stars Yi Hitoto and Tadanobu Asano. The movie is an homage to the late Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu's 100th birthday. The film was directed by famed Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien.



Yo Hitoto plays an independent writer who is recently pregnant researching Jiang Wen-Ye. Tadanobu Asano plays her friend and research allie. We see their story unfold in their lives around their homes and with Yo's parents.

Hou's films are very artsy and don't have much story in them in terms of dialogue. The story is the lives they live. In our case, the single women decides to raise the child to the displeasure of her parents. Asano is almost comic relief when he shows up. However, the story also revolves around being "foreign" in Japan with her research of Jiang Wen-Ye. We're also exposed to the ever changing things in life when she re-traces Jiang's steps. If you like slice of life films, you should catch this one.

有一天 - One Day

有一天 (One Day) is an 2010 film out of Taiwan. The movie is produced by famed Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien. The movie stars Nikki Hsin-Ying Hsieh and Bryan Shu-Hao Chang. It is also the first full film from director, Hou Chi-Jan.

Nikki Hsieh plays the daughter of a single mom, Singing. Singing is a ferry worker and heads out to work one day. Bored, Singing dozes off and dreams. In this dream, Singing is chased by a Indian man looking for food and water. While avoiding the Indian Man, Singing runs into Tsung, played by Bryan Chang. Bryan is in the army and currently on a short leave. They are introduced to each other and fall for each other. However, they both know its a dream and they want to make it last. When Singing awakes, she tracks down the real life Tsung and slowly enters his life. Slowly but surely, her invasion is complete and they become a couple.



From one of the interviews, they mentioned that it took 13 days to film the movie. Which seems quite amazing considering the number of locales and utter sense of loneliness it presents. The story itself has a twist that I didn't reveal, but you don't know this until half way through the film. A very stylistic film that moves rather slowly but deliberately. Singing and Tsung are strangers in the real world, but lovers in their dreams. Would you let love blossom knowing that it will eventually die?

Nikki Hsieh puts on a pretty good performance. Having to carry the majority of the film, you had a lot of close ups and her face had to carry it. And it did, nothing to much for her to stretch. Bryan's role was a little less, as he was complimentary to the story.

The movie was slow, but the payoff was good. This movie really reminded me a little bit of romantic movies out of HK in the late 80s and early 90s. Love can triumphs over the situation, but tragedy will befall you.

有一天 - One Day - Upcoming

有一天 (One Day) is an upcoming film being released in Taipei on June 4, 2010. The movie is produced by famed Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien. The movie stars Nikki Hsin-Ying Hsieh and Bryan Shu-Hao Chang. It is also the first full film from Hou Chi-Jan.

From the trailer, the movie looks to be about "love". Love from the past, Love for the present, and are you willing to take that leap for future guarantee of Love.



Looks abstract and it was well received at the Berlin film festival. My guess that it's half artsy fartsy and half modern. I hope that the balance can make it watchable. Unfortunately, for Taiwan cinema to advance, I think you'll need more mainstream films than artsy fartsy ones.

13 days to film the movie is rather impressive. I hope the editing can take that style of gorilla film-making to the masses.

紅氣球 - The Flight of the Red Balloon

紅氣球 (The Flight of the Red Balloon) is a 2007 film out of France. The film is directed by famed Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien.

The movie follows the life of a Chinese exchange student in France, played by Fang Song as Song. Song is the care taker for Simon and his mother Suzanne. The story followers a slice of Suzanne, Simon, and Sang's life. You go from school pick up, to pinball machine, to piano lessons. Suzanne has problems with her current partner and father of Simon, Pierre. The tenant downstairs hasn't payed rent in over a year. Suzanne's life is a roller coaster of emotions and interactions. Song and Simon however, have a calm and even demeanor through it all.

The movie is very slow and you may have 40% of the film following a red balloon. Some of it is like the bag a la American Beauty. It was a very hard watch since I wasn't prepared to watch a artsy fartsy film. It's also in French and I had to read subtitles. Which making doing other things while the film is on very hard.

Critics loved it, I didn't and Netflix raters didn't either.

最好的時光 - Three Times

Three Times (最好的時光) by director Hou Hsiao-Hsien is an art film at its core. The 3 episode movie stars 舒淇 and 張震 (Hsu Chi and Chen Chang).

The movie is divided into 3 episodes. Each episode is a different period in time. One in the present 2005, one in the Qing Dynasty, 1911, and one in 1966. Each time period portrays a relationship between 舒淇 and 張震. All 3 get to it in different ways.

It was an interesting look at 1911 during the end of the imperial age. The 1966 storyline was a look into the innocence of love. The 2005 story was the modern take on love as its lost its innocence and is part of the globalized community.