Perhaps only people who speak the Min Nan dialect will truly understand how heartfelt this film is. The price of such authenticity is that much is lost in translation. Even a Taiwanese, many of whom do not speak Min Nan, may not fully appreciate how much of the filmmaker's soul was poured into this movie.
The thematic scope was particular in that it was a very personal point of view; but also very broad because it was a grand sweep through the many social and political upheavals that an individual would have lived through in Taiwan. The film was not only ambitious in its scope, it also tried to reach a philosophical depth that movies rarely attain. So much so that I wondered if the filmmakers had overreached? Hence a 9 instead of a 10. But I am a little ambivalent about my rating and would on a different day rate it a 10. Perhaps if they only delved a little deeper into the many thorny issues that had been thrown up... But the film is already nearly 2 hours long, so I do wonder if that is reasonable at all.
Even if you do not speak Min Nan, this film is still a valuable window into Taiwan. No matter how it is translated, you will probably will not understand all of it. Keep that in mind if you choose to watch it. And I highly recommend that you do.
The thematic scope was particular in that it was a very personal point of view; but also very broad because it was a grand sweep through the many social and political upheavals that an individual would have lived through in Taiwan. The film was not only ambitious in its scope, it also tried to reach a philosophical depth that movies rarely attain. So much so that I wondered if the filmmakers had overreached? Hence a 9 instead of a 10. But I am a little ambivalent about my rating and would on a different day rate it a 10. Perhaps if they only delved a little deeper into the many thorny issues that had been thrown up... But the film is already nearly 2 hours long, so I do wonder if that is reasonable at all.
Even if you do not speak Min Nan, this film is still a valuable window into Taiwan. No matter how it is translated, you will probably will not understand all of it. Keep that in mind if you choose to watch it. And I highly recommend that you do.