When a nation's economy expands too fast, the traditional values that bind society together begin to unravel. It's a phenomenon the Taiwanese know all too well. Taiwan has quickly become one of Asia's economic powerhouses, but material success has brought its own set of problems. Firstly, there is a clash of cultures:
the Confucian ideals that respect community and authority come up against the rugged individualism demanded of the successful capitalist, and the subsequent loss of faith in traditional values has left people struggling in a spiritual vacuum. Secondly, not everybody gets rich: so how does a society deal with the inequality that wealth creates?
In his first film to be set fully in the present day, Taiwanese maestro Hou Hsiao-hsien, Goodbye South, Goodbye's director, has chosen to focus on the material gains and spiritual losses that have visibly changed Taiwan over the past decade.
"Modernisation in Taiwan has resulted in a paradox," Hou explains. "On the one hand, it's a mess - chaotic, extremely greedy for instant gains, with no sense of justice, or respect for law and order. But, at the same time, it's a vibrant country brimming with energy and life. There is a thin line between loving and hating it; my ambivalence toward Taiwan carries over into Goodbye South, Goodbye."
Hou's previous Good Men, Good Women touched on these concerns in its comparative treatment of the island's recent history. In that complex but rewarding piece, which flipped back and forth between three periods in time, Hou seemed to be contrasting the heroism of those who were prepared to die for their beliefs in the 40s and 50s with the money-grabbing mentality that holds sway today.
Although Goodbye South, Goodbye has a contemporary setting, Hou insists that it's still important to see the story in the context of past events. "The present is a continuation of the past," he says. "We are what we are because of our past. This sense of history comes with every Chinese; they are born with it."
Indeed, Hou's previous work has often seen him attempt to define Taiwanese identity - what it is to be a Taiwanese - through historical scenarios. Hou made his first film, Cute Girl, in 1980, but his breakthrough came in 1983, when he directed a segment of the influential portmanteau The Sandwich Man. 1985's The Time To Live, The Time To Die, which looked at the changing face of rural Taiwan in the 50s, is considered his first masterpiece.
Two films later, Hou followed up with A City Of Sadness which dealt with 1947's controversial February 28 Incident, when Nationalist troops massacred anti-government demonstrators. In 1993, The Puppetmaster viewed the Japanese occupation of Taiwan through the eyes of a master puppeteer.
"They [Hou and his contemporaries during the early 80s] wanted to explore their own history," says Peggy Chiao, a leading Taiwanese film critic. "To do this, they chose to formulate a film language which was very Chinese, very Taiwanese."
Hou's slow, storyteller-like approach, using long camera takes, has been much discussed.
The fact that Goodbye South, Goodbye is set in contemporary times could have prompted the director to change his style, something that was hinted at in Good Men, Good Women. "From a creative angle, most of my movies have had historical undertones," says Hou, "and because of this, they share a relatively similar rhythm, aesthetics and technique.
"I attempted to break away from this tradition with Goodbye South, Goodbye It is rather different."
Hou says the film has a simpler structure than Good Men, Good Women: "There is no multi-layered story. It will be pretty straightforward; there is no complicated structure." Goodbye South, Goodbye centres on a group of "little people" who have been left behind by the economic boom. The film follows Kao and his faithful friend Flat Top as they cut a swathe through corruption, crooked deals, suicidal partners and depressed parents in search of a better life.
Jack Kao (Daughter Of The Nile; Good Men, Good Women) plays Kao, while Good Men star Annie Shizuka Inoh makes a welcome return appearance. The script is by Hou regular, Chu Tien-wen. Indeed, Goodbye South, Goodbye sees familiar Hou faces on both sides of the camera.
"Most of my cast has worked with me for a long time," says Hou. "They all began as non-professionals… and for a very long time, they helped me to get a better grasp of contemporary Taiwanese things - the moods, the rhythms, the behaviour. In other words, I didn't cast them. They are here because some parts of them move me, and also because they inspire me."
Richard James Havis (The Taiwan Film Center helped to facilitate the above interview)
Prod Co: Team Okuyama presents a 3H Films production
Prod: King JiehWen, Katsuhiro Mizuno, Huang Chong, Shozo Ichijama
Dir: Hou Hsiao-hsien
Scr: Chu Tien-wen Ph: Lee
Ping-bin, Chen Hwai-en
Prod des: Hwarng Wern-ying
Ed: Liao Ching-song
Cast: Jack Kao, Lim Giong, Hsu Kuei-ying, Anne Shizuka Inoh, Hsi Hsiang, King JiehWen
Running time: 116mins
International sales: Shochiku
