TAIPEI STORY (PG)
Qingmei Zhuma
“A quietly stunning drama which sees the various problems facing a rapidly modernised city reflected in the lives of a dozen or so subtly observed characters.” - Time Out
Starring MIFF regular, filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien (Three Times, MIFF 2006, The Flight of the Red Balloon) as a washed-up, ex-baseball player, Taipei Story vividly paints Taipei as a chaotic boomtown of the 80s, as experienced by a couple teetering on the edge of a rocky relationship.
Underneath the perceived prosperity of the city bubbles a torrent of uncertainty, and a confusion that colours the conflicting attitudes of different generations.
With this film, Yang set himself a challenge: to work within a restrictive filmmaking environment with a cast of non-actors and a crew consisting of assistants and inexperienced technicians.
D Edward Yang S Chu T'ien-wen, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang WS 3H Productions L Taiwanese, Mandarin w/English subtitles TD 35mm/1985/117mins