English

A to Z

“Endangered Youth” is a Look at Young Activists in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Ukraine

·September 8, 2025·1 min read

CJ Anderson-Wu's Endangered Youth is best read as an ensemble work, comprising a series of vignettes and micro-fiction about young activists in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Ukraine. The book draws heavily from reality, referencing a number of real-world figures with slight alterations to their names. This is also true of many historical events referenced in the book Read More

“Eyes of the Sky” Elaborates the Oceanic World of the Tao

Books English

·December 20, 2025·1 min read

Syaman Rapongan's "Eyes of the Sky" proves the latest work by the noted Indigenous author to be translated into English. Following up on the translation of his "Eyes of the Ocean," roughly a prose bildungsroman of Rapongan’s early life, Eyes of the Sky serves to further elaborate the “oceanic world” of the Tao Read More

“Fly in Power” Ably Documents the Work of Red Canary Song

English Film

·October 21, 2023·2 min read

Fly in Power documents the work of Red Canary Song, the coalition of Asian and Migrant sex workers and massage workers formed after the death of Yang Song during a police raid in Flushing in 2017. The documentary takes a ground-level look at not only what Red Canary Song does, but also the perspectives of members as to how they understand their work, why they joined, and their backgrounds Read More

“Gaga” Provides a Glimpse of an Indigenous Family Caught in Changing Times

English Film

·September 9, 2023·2 min read

Gaga, directed by Laha Mebow, is not a perfect work, but it manages to be a candid intergenerational family drama nonetheless 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

“Heaven Does Not Block All Roads” Looks at the Storied Life of an Activist

Books English

·April 28, 2025·1 min read

Heaven Does Not Block All Roads is an elucidating and well-written biography of Huang Chin-tao, a member of the resistance army Troop 27 and later dangwai activist. As such, Huang came to be known as Taiwan’s so-called “Eternal Warrior” before his passing in 2019 Read More

“Hotel Saltwater” Depicts Rural Taiwan During the White Terror

English Film

·March 25, 2024·2 min read

In its first two episodes, Hotel Saltwater is a capable enough depiction of the farmers’ movement during the White Terror. In particular, Hotel Saltwater is based on the life and times of farmers’ movement activist and eventual DPP legislator Tai Chen-yao, taking its name from a biography of Tai’s early life Read More

“Last Night in Taipei” Aimlessly Meanders through its Chance Encounter Premise

English Film

·July 8, 2026·2 min read

Centering on a chance encounter of friends, “Last Night in Taipei” has few redeeming qualities besides its electronic music soundtrack Read More

“Life for Sale” Offers a Stylized and Complex Exploration of Mortality

English Film

·July 26, 2022·3 min read

Life for Sale is an ambitious work. While imperfect, the film is bold, and those willing to indulge some of its more visible flaws may find the journey rewarding Read More

“Light of the Setting Sun” is an Elegiac Diasporic Reflection

English Film

·April 24, 2025·2 min read

Light of the Setting Sun is a capable, elegiac work examining filmmaker Vicky Du’s family. Du focuses on the history of silences in the family, silences she ultimately traces back to the trauma of displacement after the Chinese Civil War 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

“Mountain Woman” Depicts Human Cruelty and Desperation in a Japanese Village

English Film

·November 4, 2022·2 min read

With its story about an outcast family, “Mountain Woman” explores humanity’s darkness against a beautiful backdrop of Japan’s countryside Read More