A Brighter Summer Day

A timeless nostalgic masterpiece. This is Edward Yang's towering achievement and one of the best films of the 1990s. And not only that: many include it in the ranking of the greatest films of all time.

With sweeping and hypnotically beautiful images, Yang takes us to 1960s Taipei, where two rival youth gangs fight to control the neighborhood. At the center of the action is Xiao Si’r, who is in love with Ming, who in turn is with Honey, one of the most notorious gang members. Si’r and Ming spy on a film shoot, and when they are discovered, Ming is offered a screen test. In the evenings, they meet in a dance hall, where a band plays unforgettable versions of American hits. Among the cast is Chang Chen, who we later see in films like Happy Together and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Lisa Yang, in her only and highly memorable film role.

In addition to the story of youth, crime, and love, this is also a lyrical and intimate portrait of a family, and a film about Taiwan's history, with refugees from mainland China and memories from the time when Taiwan was a Japanese colony.

A Brighter Summer Day is both a film to lose yourself in and a film that can be studied for its brilliant cinematic qualities. Every single frame is incredibly well-composed, yet done in a subdued, elegant style, and the story unfolds like a nostalgic dream. The film has a gentle rhythm, and it feels extremely sensual without ever resorting to visual clichés or sentimentality.

«In every aspect of technique —from the smoky colors and the bustling, off-center compositions to the architecture of the story and the emotional precision of the performances — this film is a work of absolute mastery.»

– A.O. Scott, The New York Times –

Cinemateket in Oslo

Director

Edward Yang (1947-2007) was a Taiwanese filmmaker often associated with the Taiwanese New Wave cinema of the 1980s. He is known for classics such as Taipei Story (1985), Terrorizers (1986), A Brighter Summer Day (1991), and Yi Yi (2001).

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