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A City of Sadness (Chinese: 悲情城市) is a 1989 Taiwanese historical drama directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. It tells the story of a family embroiled in the "White Terror" that was inflicted on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang government (KMT) after they arrived from mainland China during the late 1940s. It was then thousands of Taiwanese and recent emigres from the Mainland were shot and imprisoned.


A City of Sadness was the first Taiwanese films to win the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, and is often considered Hou Hsiao-hsien's masterpiece. It stars Tony Leung as Lin Wen-ching and Sung Young Chen as Lin Wen-heung. Hou Hsiao-hsien won the Best Director. City of Sadness is now widely considered a masterpiece and has been described as "probably the most significant film to have emerged out of Taiwan's New Cinema.


"This is one of the greatest films ever made."-FireEmblem27

A City of Sadness (1989)

Sypnosis

Video credits to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA6nBCm5Sd8

"Very good movie, it had a lasting impact with me. I think it's the only movie that me cry after watching it." - Petit

Image credits to https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2003/cteq/city_of_sadness/

The film starts on August 15, 1945, with the voice of Emperor Hirohito announcing Japan's unconditional surrender. It  follows the Lin family in a coastal town near Taipei, Taiwan from 1945 to 1949. It is  period after the end of 50 years of Japanese colonial rule and before the establishment of a government-in-exile in Taiwan by Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Kuomintang forces.

Highlighted Soundtrack

"無語論比的電影，配合沉重的配樂，叫整個電影不再是電影，整個人像進入了那環境中。" - St C

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