A Time in Quchi
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A Time in Quchi | ||||||||||||||||||
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Directed by | Chang Tso-chi | |||||||||||||||||
Screenplay by | Chang Tso-chi | |||||||||||||||||
Produced by | Kao Wen-Hung | |||||||||||||||||
Starring | Yang Liang-yu Kuan Kuan Nick Yen Lin Ya-Jo Hsieh Ming-Chuan Cheng Jen-Shuo | |||||||||||||||||
Cinematography | Yuen Hing-Gwok Chen Chi-cheng Jerry Hsu | |||||||||||||||||
Edited by | Chang Tso-chi | |||||||||||||||||
Music by | Wu Rei-Ren | |||||||||||||||||
Production company | Chang Tso-chi Film Studio | |||||||||||||||||
Distributed by | Swallow Wings Films | |||||||||||||||||
Release dates | Taiwan
France
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Running time | 109 minutes | |||||||||||||||||
Country | Taiwan Locarno International Film Festival.[1] A Time in Quchi features cameo appearances by Yang Liang-Yu, poet Kuan Kuan, Nick Yen (also known as Prince of Star), and Taiwanese actress Hanyi Yao (previously known as Ginger Chen before 2011).[2]
A Time in Quchi received two nominations for Best New Performer and Best Original Film Music at the 50th Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards.[3] PlotThe story follows a 10-year-old, somewhat arrogant elementary school boy, Kuan Hsiao-Pao (played by Yang Liang-Yu), during the period around his summer vacation. Growing up in the bustling metropolitan area of Taipei, Taiwan, Hsiao-Pao faces various challenges such as neglectful parents, a mundane school life, an annoying younger sister, unapproachable peers, and the dilemma of how to handle his summer homework. Due to the passing of his grandmother and his parents' divorce as well as their busy work schedule, Hsiao-Pao and his sister are sent by his father (played by Nick Yen) to Quchi, Xindian, at the end of the semester to spend the summer vacation with their grandfather (played by Kuan Kuan) in the countryside.[4]
Hsiao-Pao brings along his tablet and the summer homework assigned by his teacher as he is transferred to a local elementary school with only 27 students. Sent to the countryside, Hsiao-Pao feels simultaneously unfamiliar with and curious about everything that comes with the fresh yet alien rural surroundings as he is forced to adapt to a lifestyle that is completely different from the one he was used to in Taipei. At this small school, Hsiao-Pao meets a girl nicknamed Da-Xiong (Big Bear), whose family is poor but warm-hearted and cheerful. Meanwhile, an orphan named Ming-Chuan, who secretly has a crush on Da-Xiong, introduces Hsiao-Pao to the world beyond the internet. Making new friends, Hsiao-Pao gradually changes his mindset, moving away from the gaming world on his tablet and embracing the vast countryside.[5] As the days go by, amidst the tranquility and vastness of nature, Hsiao-Pao gradually opens up his heart and begin to care about the people around him. In this idyllic haven, Hsiao-Pao rediscovers a joyful childhood and experiences the importance of family through his daily interactions with his grandfather. However, as a typhoon approaches and a series of events unfold like a torrential flood, disrupting the tranquility of summer vacation, Hsiao-Pao learns during this summer break that, a more challenging life issue, beyond homework, awaits. That is, the price of growing up[6] A Time in Quchi and Chang Tso-Chi's Family TrilogyA Time in Quchi is the seventh film directed by Chang Tso-Chi. In A Time in Quchi, Chang Tso-Chi explores family bonds and the complexities of relationships through the perspective of a young boy. The film explores the theme of parental neglect and the yearning for connection.[7] Chang Tso-Chi is known for his social realism and humanistic attention to the lived experiences he draws inspiration from. Compared to his earlier works, which were dark, masculine, and fierce, A Time in Quchi, as the final installment of the Family Trilogy (How Are You, Dad? from 2009, When Love Comes from 2010, and A Time in Quchi from 2013), takes on a more lyrical and gentle tone. A Time in Quchi is Chang Tso-Chi's self-confession of neglecting his son due to his work. Drawing on his own son's experiences, the film integrates the true nature and daily habits of a young elementary school boy, interweaving moments of humorous and melancholic emotions, revealing the love between people that is both distant and difficult to let go of.[7] Chang Tso-Chi's A Time in Quchi (2013) and Hou Hsiao-Hsien's A Summer at Grandpa's (1984)
Lo Pecha, curator of the Women Make Waves International Film Festival in Taiwan, in an study guide of A Time in Quchi published on the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute website, discussed extensively about how A Time in Quchi showcases Chang Tso-Chi's signature styles and thematic choices:
Similarly, Maggie Lee, film critic at Vanity Fair, praising A Time in Quchi as, "Delicate and poetic, but full of offbeat humor, this coming-of-ager is Taiwanese auteur Chang Tso-Chi's most accessible work to date,"[8] also compares A Time in Quchi with A Summer at Grandpa's:
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