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. 

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