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
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 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
Discover the top Taiwanese movies of 2022 across genres like horror, romance, history, puppetry, comedy, and more—streaming links included when available Read More
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
"A Light Never Goes Out" is a spirited look into the craftsmen who build and maintain Hong Kong’s iconic neon signs. Though the film’s plot is somewhat boilerplate, it has beautiful cinematography, and demonstrates a genuine love for its subject Read More
Therapy Dogs is a creatively stylized take on high school, following two friends in their senior year. Though the film is unlikely to appeal to all viewers, given its deliberately disjointed narrative, it manages to capture something of the nihilism–and violence–of wayward teenagers Read More
by the window, directed by Rikiya Imaizumi, proves masterful. The film does not shy away from tackling complex issues, such as the nature of love or creativity, and approaches them in a wonderfully naturalistic fashion Read More
With its story about an outcast family, “Mountain Woman” explores humanity’s darkness against a beautiful backdrop of Japan’s countryside Read More
Dealing With Dad has all the makings of a solid comedy about an Asian American family. Nevertheless, the film simply fails to come to life somehow. Maybe it’s because the entire movie feels tonally off-key. Perhaps it has to do with its near-complete lack of soundtrack, an odd choice outside of the art house genre . Or, it may have to do with how few of the movie’s jokes hit the mark Read More
Tank Fairy is a spunky queer take on a traditional fixture of Taiwanese urban life–the deliveryperson, invariably middle-aged and male, that brings canisters of gas that apartments use to boil hot water for cooking and showering Read More
“Dear Corky” is a tribute to the photographer Corky Lee, who spent decades documenting Asian American life, and died in 2021 from COVID-19. The short documentary film was assembled from footage shot of Lee before his death, though this may not have been with the aim of creating a documentary about Lee at first Read More