Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s loose trilogy of films on Taiwan’s modern history started with this dark family saga, set in the years after Japan’s colonial rule ended in 1945. All the sons in the Lin family have trouble, none more than Wenqing (Tony Leung), an idealistic deaf-mute. Taiwan audiences flocked to a movie which overturned political censorship taboos, and Venice awarded it the Golden Lion.
A City of Sadness (1989)
Hou Hsiao-Hsien breached political taboos in his Golden Lion-winning tale of a Taiwanese family in the mid-1940s.
- 1989 Taiwan
- Directed by
- Hou Hsiao-Hsien
- Produced by
- Ch'iu Fu-sheng
- Written by
- Wu Nien-chen, Chu T'ien-Wen
- Featuring
- Li T'ien-lü, Ch'en Sung-yung, Gao Chieh
Who voted for A City of Sadness
Critics
- Dudley Andrew
- USA
- Paolo Bertolin
- Italy
- Hannes Brühwiler
- Germany/Switzerland
- Colin Burnett
- USA
- Michel Ciment
- France
- Jesse Cumming
- Canada
- John Hill
- UK
- Sam Ho
- Hong Kong
- Teresa Huang
- Taiwan
- Anke Leweke
- Germany
- Adrienne McKibbins
- Australia
- Markus Nornes
- USA
- James Quandt
- Canada
- Leo Robson
- UK
- Rainer Rother
- Germany
- Josh Slater-Williams
- UK
- Brad Stevens
- UK
- Gerwin Tamsma
- Netherlands
Directors
- Alex Barrett
- UK
- Chuko Esiri
- Nigeria
- Bong Joon-ho
- Ruijun Li
- China
- Wang Xiaoshuai
- China