A Brighter Summer Day (1991)

A Brighter Summer Day (1991)

A rich, melancholy tale of 1960s youth in Taiwan

The Very Best

9.0

Movie

South Korea, Taiwan
English, Mandarin
Crime, Drama, Romance
1991
EDWARD YANG
Alex Yang, Chang Chen, Chang Han
237 min

What it's about

A boy experiences first love, friendships and injustices growing up in 1960s Taiwan.

The take

At nearly four hours long, A Brighter Summer Day is a sprawling, beautifully composed film that follows young Xiao Si’r and his eventual entanglements in nearly everything, from love to youth gangs to politics. While parts of the story, particularly its bone-chilling climax, are based on true events, the film is largely reconstructed from Edward Yang’s memories of the era he grew up in. As a result, the visuals feel crisp and true, tinged with just the right amount of nostalgia to balance the grittiness of its realism. 

As coming-of-age films go, A Brighter Summer Day is certainly more on the tragic side. It’s also seminal in its specificity and depth—an absolute must-watch for any and all filmgoers. 

Comments

Add a comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Comrades, Almost a Love Story (1996)

Almost Hong Kong natives become almost lovers in this heart stirring romance drama

8.2

Problemista (2024)

Dark, weird, poignant, and funny, this debut feature by Los Espookys star Julio Torres is a modern parable of the American Dream

8.6

The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon (2023)

A dying criminal kills to be the most wanted in this Taiwanese Western-esque gangster drama

7.5

Happy Together (1997)

A Cantonese romance that explores love amidst heartbreak

7.0

Dear Ex (2018)

A heart-wrenching tale of love and hate

7.4

A City of Sadness (1989)

With A City of Sadness, Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien paints a picture of a society on the brink

8.8

Drive My Car (2021)

A poignant, meandering tale of art, love, and loss

8.9

Chungking Express (1994)

7.9

Yi Yi (2000)

Life goes on, beautifully and tragically, in Edward Yang’s magnum opus

9.0

Rebels of the Neon God (1992)

A tale of yearning and obsession bathed in a melancholic atmosphere

8.4

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.