Saw The Time To Live And The Time To Die, a melancholy little coming-of-age story about a Taiwanese boy and his family during the 50s. Being that this is the 50s and Taiwan, there's hints of Communism entering into full swing but this is a child's-eye view of the world and thus socio-political upheavals are not the point of the film. The film has a peaceful, rich atmosphere. The town they live in looks extremely real, with trash in the streets, people lounging about. It's not dirty, just warts-and-all believable. This is very different from most Chinese and Japanese films I've seen, which are usually unnaturally polished and plasticky. A far cry from this simple and humble depiction of an actual town.
Like many coming-of-age films, this has a wistful and nostalgic feeling of loss about it. The protagonist has kind of a wild youth, running with gangs of boys and starting turf wars. As he gets older and must take on more responsibilities, he turns away from his "family" the gang and towards his own family, symbolically passing the torch to the next generation.
I liked this film although it did bum me out. It's got tons of atmosphere and some great subtle acting. Of course when it's time to get sad, we get really sad but in earned, well-observed ways. A sweet, intimate little film.
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