302

Primarily a film assembled together like clippings of memory paired with internal monologue, it managed to delicately craft a few interesting perspectives on the lives of 5 siblings in changing conditions. I felt a good sense of the characters, especially Ha-hou, through the cautious pacing, but the story was only mildly and intermittently engaging. Photography and lighting was occasionally wonderful, but I can't help but think that Hou has more to offer in other films.

Meditative film about family struggles and growing up contrasted with Taiwan's parallel changes in social structure. It's rather slow and lacks the impact to justify the pacing, but still flows reasonably well and has a few impacting moments.

#320

# 282

287

More like A Time to Nap. In content, this movie isn't all that different from other films I enjoy. However Hou fails to bring his characters to life. Without an engaging story, I need something to grab on to, and Hou offers nothing but his own nostalgia. I was just waiting for something, anything, to happen that would capture my interest. The camera offered a few decent moments, but nothing amazing. And the music was too sappy, it added to feeling of being spoon-fed someone else's nostalgia.