New Taiwanese Cinema: Defined through the works of Edward Yang and Hou Hsiao-Hsien
The history of Taiwan is a rich and complicated one fraught with political strife. In Taiwan there has been a mix of indigenous, Japanese and Chinese influence all of which has led to the complicated identity of what it means to be Taiwanese. This is something that finds itself imbued in New Taiwanese Cinema. New Taiwanese Cinema describes the period from 1982–1990, which emerged as a response to the growing success of films from Hong Kong. The films of this era also came as a contrast to the films of the previous decades which were filled with Kung Fu and romance. The films of New Taiwanese Cinema are instead characterized by realism, in either urban or rural Taiwan. These films imbue themes of alienation, neo-liberal capitalism, family and gender roles, all issues relevant to the Taiwanese experience in the eighties. Filmmakers like Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Edward Yang help to define this period with a litany of films some of which include The Terrorizers and The Sandwich Man. By looking at these filmmakers and their respective cinematic styles a portrait of Taiwan’s intricate personality is revealed.
The films of New Taiwanese Cinema have frequently been compared to Italian Neo-realist films and the French New Wave. There is certainly a comparison that can be made between the two, with films that focus on…
