A Brighter Summer Day (1991)

This film is a nearly four-hour epic by the masterful director, Edward Yang. Despite its length, the film does not drag but actually leaves you wanting more. 'A Brighter Summer Day' takes place during a turbulent time in 1960s Taiwan and follows a student named Xiao Si'r. It's interesting to see how his character develops throughout the movie, starting off a quiet bookworm, who eventually becomes involved with the street gangs of his neighborhood.

The movie has a sprawling cast and each character gets a fair bit of screentime. My favorite was Si'r's friend Cat, who sings Elvis songs. The English title of the movie is taken from a mistranslated line of Elvis's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?". The movie's Taiwanese title "Youngster Homicide Incident at Guling Street" points to something more sinister, so fair warning. Overall, the movie is a good watch and I would recommend it to anyone, especially fans of Taiwanese movies.

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