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Simply A Masterpiece

Redundant and unnecessary.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

I would never have heard about this Taiwanese film if I hadn't found it listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I hoped it would be a title that deserved its placement, directed by Hsiao-Hsien Hou (A Time to Live, a Time to Die; The Puppetmaster). Basically it takes place during a crucial moment in Taiwanese history between 1945, Emperor Hirohito announces Japan's surrender following 50 years of Japanese colonial rule, and the arrival of Chiang Kai-Shek's Nationalists four years later. Set in a coastal town not far from Taipei, it depicts the experiences of the Lin family, specifically in the lives of four brothers during the February 28 Incident. The eldest brother Wen-heung (Sung Young Chen) is a translator, he awaits the birth of his child and begins trading in the post-war black market. The second middle brother Wen-leung (Jack Kao) is a soldier, he suffers a traumatic brain injury whilst in prison during the war and is thought to have died in the Philippines. The youngest brother Wen-ching (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), who is both deaf and mute, works as a photographer, he suffers a nervous breakdown in Shanghai. With the brothers getting involved with complex issues, including drug dealers, the authorities and leftist guerrillas of the time, it will all inevitably end in the family's destruction. It is a simple of a troubled family that will all make choices that will lead to tragedy, I got confused whether there were three or four brothers, and it did get confusing when having to also read subtitles, but the scenery was nice to look at, and it certainly look authentic with the setting, an interesting enough historical drama. Good!

This film is definitely one of the best historical film i have ever seen!... putting aside all those clichés most filmmakers are tend to use: there is no such thing as heroic portrayal of martyrs or the use of extremely artificial dramatic art. That makes this film believable and, compared to others, very unique.Normally you would have a narrator who is telling you the story from his point of view. Now, i don't want to say that i dismiss this way of narration but "A city of sadness" does not need such a narrator; in fact it would shatter the special specific atmosphere of this movie if that would be the case. Without definitive narrative elements, the staging normally involves (narration/music/DP etc), the viewer gets the feeling that he is able to see for himself what the lives of those people were like when WWII ended. It is fascinating to witness how this very sober staging is still able to evoke strong emotions within the viewer. This is due to the directors vision but also to the cast which did an amazing job.It was also very clever to have the deaf Wen-Ch'ing as the main character so the viewer can sympathize with him very easily: like Wen-Ch'ing the viewer is kind of caught up within the political turbulence and is not to able react like he would want because he is mute ... and is therefore not able to speak up in a loud voice to stop the violence. He is forced to watch.Even today the topic Taiwan/China isn't solved at all. After watching this film people will surely get a better understanding why the struggle between China and Taiwan is so filled with anger, sadness, fury ...so ... that's definitely a must-see!! ;)

Simply one of the best films ever made and certainly the best to have come out of China, Taiwan or Hong Kong. Forget about traumatic Taiwanese history, forget about other "epic" films from mainland China, or Taiwan, or Hong Kong. This one is one of the most profound statements about human condition and the relentless power of history. You can physically feel the winds of history blowing through a small hospital in the mountains, or a house of the person who will succumb to the inevitable, or a railway car caught in the middle of a massacre. Hou Hsiao-Hsien doesn't reconstruct history, he shows you human beings caught unawares and unable to cope with a totally unexpected avalanche of events destined to change their lives. Acting is superb, the mute character played by Tony Leung Chiu Wai (who, quite prosaically, couldn't speak Hokkien and had to be made mute) will haunt you for a very long time. One of the most underrated films from one of the most underrated directors. Spend two and a half hours of your life watching this, it's worth it. 10 out of 10.

As my age, several section in this film makes me feel funny, such as the way they behavior, the words they said. It is too unbelievable for me to drive me away to feel the sadness. Just like listen to a story.However, it did happen. Several events I have heard from my grandmother; the setting is also like my mother's house in south country; the location, Chiu-Fen, I visited several months ago is still similar with the scene in the film. All I know about this period are from history books. Time would wipe people's memory. In case people would forget the sadness in our history, movie provides us to retract some part of that moment in our past time to allow us to learn what had happened around us. I have to say this movie is worth every people with any age in Taiwan or from Taiwan to see once in your life.