1-World Festival of Foreign Films
HOME      CHOOSE-A-COUNTRY      SEARCH      POST-A-REVIEW      CONTACT 1-WORLD

"That Day on the Beach"
1983
Directed by Edward Yang

Generally credited as the film which more than any other marked the launching of the Taiwanese New Wave, That Day, On the Beach mingles the director's own expatriate experience (in the U.S.) with his perceptions of several strata of Taiwanese society. Told in flashbacks, the film begins as two former schoolfriends are reunited after a 13-year separation. One is now a successful concert pianist in Europe; the other has started up a business after the failure of her marriage. The two reminisce about old times, reveal secrets of the past they never dared tell before, and take stock of their present lives. Director Yang weaves several levels of narrative together to create a rich emotional tapestry that reflects the experience of a "lost" generation. Taiwanese dialect with English subtitles. Taiwan.  167 minutes.