when qin visits her son, a-ho, for the first time in juvenile detention, she scolds him for all the mess he’d left for her to clean up. The two argue for a long time about a-ho’s delinquency. right then, qin asks if there is anything a-ho needs in juvie. the two suddenly start joking about instant noodles packets and the number of iron eggs a-ho craves.
the complicated dynamics of family relationships is one that I speak little about but resonate deeply with. in my asian household, we say “i love you” with cut fruits on the table; our world is one where actions speak louder than words. we dust off hardships and joke about our quarrels and annoyances with each other. our incredible ability to laugh during our most difficult and turbulent times is what I’ve grown to cherish the most.
the chen family, an unraveling rope, consists of a mother who is the single thread holding them together, a father who struggles to show his love for his two sons, and two brothers, who seem to be polar opposites - bonded by nothing but a common last name. the film is brutally honest. dramatic, sure. long? one could say. (though personally i had no idea 2hrs and 36min had passed when i finished it) but there’s no other way to describe it except: relatable. because life really is dramatic and dull all in one.
a sun accompanied me on my flight from taipei to new york, leaving the place i call home, my comfort, and, my own family. it was tragic. but it was also beautiful.
