A Brighter Summer Day

A Brighter Summer Day is a picture of Taiwan at the start of the ’60s as reflected in the story of a 14-year-old boy who kills his girlfriend. This is a Taiwan caught between the pull of mainland China and the lure of the U.S., land of milk and honey where Elvis Presley sings (or does he?) of “a brighter summer day.” It’s also a Taiwan of Communist-spy scares, and a Taiwan where the kids from mainland families have formed street gangs to assert their own identity and to challenge each other for supremacy. Xiao Si’r (Chang Chen, in his first role) does not belong to any gang, although his best friends are members of the Little Park Gang—currently leaderless because its charismatic founder Honey has gone into hiding. When Xiao Si’r first meets Ming he keeps his distance; he knows that she was Honey’s girlfriend. But a friendship develops between them anyway, a friendship that eventually pulls Xiao Si’r to pieces. Edward Yang locates this story at the heart of a vast fresco crowded with warmth, humor, violence and a wealth of intimate detail. For once, “masterpiece” seems the appropriate word. “This film is dedicated to my father and his generation, who suffered so much for my generation to suffer less,” said Yang. “I hope they, the forgotten, can be made unforgettable.”