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The World is Your Oyster: Walking Down The Memory Lane Of Hong Kong’s Social Movements

·March 25, 2023·9 min read

Starting from the Umbrella Movement in 2014, the outpouring of political creativity in fields ranging from independent documentaries, films, animations, comic books, performing art, and novels has brought Hong Kong to the spotlight, especially in Taiwan Read More

“A Camp Unknown” Sheds Light on a Forgotten Period in Taiwan’s History

English Film

·March 18, 2023·3 min read

The PTS documentary "A Camp Unknown" (彼岸他方), directed by Awei Liu, proves an insightful look at a forgotten period in Taiwanese history. The documentary examines refugee camps for Chinese Vietnamese refugees that existed in Taiwan from 1977 to 1988 Read More

“Goddamned Asura” Aims for Humanistic Social Commentary

English Film

·March 15, 2023·3 min read

Taiwanese film in the last decade seems to have been fixated on depicting random acts of violence committed by troubled youth. This is due to the impact of real-world events such as the “Little Lightbulb Murder” in 2016 and the Cheng Chieh subway stabbing in 2014–but also due to the in-depth media reporting on these incidents that followed Read More

“Marry My Dead Body” Proves A Well-Intended and Capably Shot if Problematic LGBTQ Crime Caper

English Film

·March 11, 2023·4 min read

Marry My Dead Body is an entertaining and capably executed, if a bit breezy, buddy cop comedy with LGBTQ themes. The outlandish premise–featuring a straight, initially homophobic police officer whose attitudes gradually change through interactions with a gay ghost that he becomes haunted by–certainly proves memorable Read More

“If We Burn” Recollects Hong Kong’s 2019 Protests in a Slow Burn Manner

English Film

·February 22, 2023·3 min read

Lianain Films’ four hour-long documentary “If We Burn” offers one of the most exhaustive retrospectives on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protest movement Read More

“One Hundred Years and Hope” Profiles the Japanese Communist Party Whilst Avoiding High Drama Or Emotionality

English Film

·February 18, 2023·3 min read

Documentary "One Hundred Years and Hope" offers a capable peek into candidates and campaigns of the Japanese Communist Party Read More

“Convenience Story” Paints Surreal Picture of the Creative Process Using Japanese Convenience Stores

English Film

·February 14, 2023·3 min read

Director Miki Satoshi’s latest movie “Convenience Story” explores a scriptwriter and actress’ journey through a series of increasingly surreal situations Read More

An Understated Yet Gripping Tale of Displacement: A Review of Tortoise Under the Earth

English Film

·February 4, 2023·3 min read

Tortoise Under the Earth, described as somewhere between a documentary and fiction by director Shishir Jha, takes a mostly fly-on-the-wall approach to its subjects. This would be an elderly couple in a remote area of Jharkhand, India. While the two are dealing with the loss of their daughter, they are also about to be driven off of the homes that their families have inhabited for generations due to uranium mining Read More

A Drama About a Working-Class Taiwanese Family on the Wrong Side of the Tracks

English Film

·January 7, 2023·3 min read

The rather inscrutably titled Coo-Coo 043 ( 一家子兒咕咕叫) proves a dramatic look at the lives of Taiwan’s working class, through the lens of pigeon racing. Though a bit overwrought at times, it is an effective work Read More

A Look at a Family Estranged From Each Other But Linked by Faith in Divinity

English Film

·January 4, 2023·3 min read

A Holy Family (神人之家) is an insightful documentary that examines family dynamics. The movie follows the filmmaker, Elvis Lu, as he films his estranged family Read More

The 10 Best Taiwanese Movies of 2022

English Film

·December 28, 2022·9 min read

Discover the top Taiwanese movies of 2022 across genres like horror, romance, history, puppetry, comedy, and more—streaming links included when available Read More

Sona Eyambe (伊恩貝)’s Transphobia is Dangerous

English Film Life

·December 6, 2022·5 min read

Several right-leaning foreign national YouTubers have found an audience in Taiwan. They often purport to “explain” the culture of their home countries or Taiwan. Some promote vapid consumerism, an American lifestyle, and play heavily on shock value by making a spectacle of cultural differences. Few, however, are as dangerous as American YouTuber Sona Eyambe (伊恩貝). Eyambe pretends to be impartial and to do “tons of research,” but instead his videos present common far right-wing conservative arguments Read More