We’ve finally done it: all seven Edward Yang films discussed on Deep Cut. The only podcast to give Edward Yang the time and space he deserves as one of the all time greatest directors (and Wilson’s favorite director)!

We end our coverage on Yang with what is considered to be his magnum opus, 1991’s A Brighter Summer Day, an intimate epic of teenage angst, romance, and rebellion that also captures Taiwan in a specific era of political and social turbulence with incredible detail. Together, we discuss ABSD’s unique visual palette compared to Yang’s other non-period work, and go in depth into its thematic concerns regarding Taiwan on a scale both personal and national. Wilson highlights the virtuosic blocking in large crowd scenes, Eli makes a case for proper education as the salve for social ills, and Ben asks, can a film be “too perfect”?

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Links:

• BFI: Edward Yang interview by Tony Rayns
• Criterion: Interview with screenwriter Hung Hung
• Criterion: Chang Chen on ABSD

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(17:57) Synopsis and background

(25:16) Directorial style

(32:09) Subjectivity and Chang Chen’s performance

(39:14) Misogyny and control

(47:07) Ming’s characterization

(52:48) Historical context

(55:35) Tribalism and nihilism

(59:53) “Novelistic”

(01:04:57) Si’r as spectator

(01:07:39) What is the movie about?

(01:13:26) Education

(01:18:54) Individual vs societal responsibility

(01:23:09) Gang violence

(01:30:41) Blocking

(01:34:56) The film studio

(01:42:39) The Little Park Boys

(01:48:07) Favorite moments

(01:52:14) “Perfect” films

(01:55:11) Scale

(01:58:10) Yang series wrap-up