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Screen/Society--"A Brighter Summer Day" (Edward Yang, 1991)

Speaker

Introduced by Prof. Guo-Juin Hong (Asian & Middle Eastern Studies / AAHVS / GSF)

Film screening: "A Brighter Summer Day" (Edward Yang, 1991, 237 min, Taiwan, Mandarin with English Subtitles, DCP) Set in the early sixties in Taiwan, "A Brighter Summer Day" is based on the true story of a crime that rocked the nation. A film of both sprawling scope and tender intimacy, this novelistic, patiently observed epic centers on the gradual, inexorable fall of a young teenager (Chen Chang, in his first role) from innocence to juvenile delinquency, and is set against a simmering backdrop of restless youth, rock and roll, and political turmoil. "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, New York Times "A physical and social world as dense with family, community, and other personal ties as any John Ford film, and furnished with more sheer physical presence (including characters, settings, and objects) than any other fiction film I know of from the '90s." - Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader "Yang has erected a temporal experience, a completely immersive world that few artists in any medium could ever hope to do. If you love cinema, you'll love this movie." - IndieWire View trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OBkbN8-cr4 COVID-19 Info: Masking is optional; fully vaccinated status strongly encouraged. (See our website for details.)

Categories

Asia focus, China focus, Movie/Film