It is somewhat a mission for me to finish the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, to watch all titles listed, this Taiwanese film is one that I hoped would be a worthy entry, written and directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien (A City of Sadness, The Puppetmaster). Basically is a semi-autobiographical story, heavily inspired by the childhood and adolescence of director Hou, growing up in Taiwan. Set between 1947-1965, it follows Ah-ha (Ah-hsiao) and his family; his parents, grandmother, older sister, and three brothers, coping with the shock of moving to the mainland. Ah-ha was only a child during this period, the family were never able to return to their original home, but he soon acclimatises himself to the new country. But Ah-ha puts himself into situations that clash with his traditional family life, he joins a street gang, he battles between this delinquent life and getting into college. The three most significant events that Ah-ha lives through are the tragic deaths of his father, this mother, and his grandmother, each played a crucial part in his coming-of-age, and each death is part of what causes him to question his life choices. I could just about follow what was going on with the lead and other characters, the family and financial struggles are interesting, obviously it has emotional stuff, and it has good use of scenery, all in all it is a worthwhile period drama. Good!
