A City of Sadness

A 1989 Taiwanese historical drama directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, following the Lin family through the February 28 Incident and its aftermath. It was the first Taiwanese film to win the Golden Lion at Venice.

Hou Hsiao-hsien: Taiwanese filmmaker associated with the New Wave and long, observational takes. His distant framing and understated style shape how the family’s upheaval appears onscreen.
February 28 Incident: A 1947 uprising against Kuomintang rule in Taiwan, followed by violent repression. The incident is the historical rupture around which the family’s story unfolds.
Tony Leung Chiu-wai: Hong Kong actor known for emotionally restrained performances in films across East Asia. He plays Wen-ching, the deaf-mute photographer at the center of the Lin family story.
Golden Lion: The highest prize awarded to a film at the Venice International Film Festival. The film’s 1989 win marked a major international recognition of Taiwanese cinema.
Kukushka: A 2002 Finnish-Russian film about a Finnish soldier, a Soviet soldier, and a Sami woman near World War II’s end. It contrasts the film’s grounded Taiwanese family history with an allegorical encounter across wartime identities.
Long take: A film shot that continues without an edit for an extended duration. Extended shots let violence and grief unfold without conventional dramatic emphasis.
White Terror (Taiwan): The period of political repression and authoritarian rule in Taiwan under the Kuomintang. The film’s aftermath points toward the surveillance and fear that followed the uprising.
Shu Qi: Taiwanese actress who became an internationally recognized film performer. Her later screen career is often connected to her breakthrough in Hou’s cinema.
Venice International Film Festival: An annual film festival held in Venice, Italy, and one of the oldest in the world. Its top award brought the film’s Taiwanese history to a global festival audience.
The Sorrow of Beloved Sons: A 1995 Taiwanese film by Lin Cheng-sheng about a family confronting political violence and historical trauma. It offers another Taiwanese family-centered approach to violence and its lingering consequences.

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