Best Taiwan Films
Taiwan’s cinema captured my heart. Taiwanese cinema is a highlight reel of culture and landscapes with cinematic cityscapes of spiralling alleyways and plotlines, to serene countryside scenes. In this article, I share the best movies about Taiwan. I highly recommend watching some before travelling to Taiwan.
Travelling around Taiwan was my first big travel adventure. Back in 2012, I moved to a small town in Taiwan and spent a year living and teaching there. Before I moved there, I knew Taiwan only through the movies. I studied Taiwan New Cinema at university in Exeter and fell in love with the unique aesthetic of the films. I hadn’t had any intention of moving to Taiwan at that time, but I had just met Luke and he had plans to teach abroad in Taiwan. He asked me if I wanted to move with him. Having fallen in love with Taiwan through film, I knew in my heart I wanted to go.
In the 1980s, directors like Edward Yang and Hou Hsiao-hsien started the Taiwan New Cinema movement. The Taiwanese filmmaker who has received the most international acclaim though is Ang Lee who directed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi and Brokeback Mountain. Taiwan’s film industry faced tough challenges with censorship from the Republic of China, and as it wasn’t part of Hong Kong’s mainstream cinema.
Best Movies About Taiwan from the 2000s
Picking out the best Taiwanese movies is a hard job. I’ve rounded up my favourite films about Taiwan into this list. There are many great Taiwanese films out there; I encourage you to keep watching beyond this list.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) — Ang Lee’s masterpiece is one of the most critically-acclaimed Taiwan films. The film was a surprise international hit. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is part of the wuxia (“martial heroes”) film genre. It tells the story of a sword that is passed on and stolen. Expect masterful cinematography, swift martial arts and beautiful scenery. Available to watch on Google Play.
Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003) — Tsai Ming-liang’s dark, slow-moving movie embodies Taiwan’s slow cinema style. There’s no dialogue during the first 20 minutes, and the film has very little talking at all. Set in an old Taipei cinema, we watch the almost empty audience and projectionist watch King Hu’s 1967 classic Dragon Inn. One of my favourite Taiwan films, but not to everyone’s taste.
Tigertail (2020) — This modern Taiwan film is more palatable for those who haven’t dived into the independent cinema world. It’s a great entry-level film into Taiwan’s cinema. Directed by American-born Alan Yang (producer on Parks and Recreation), this film centres on the story of third generation Asian-Americans. It explores the Taiwanese diaspora. Available to watch on Netflix.
Days (2020) — Taiwanese drama film, Days, is one Taiwan’s most recent cinematic releases. This slow-paced Tsai Ming-liang movie is about middle-class living in Taiwan.
Best Movies About Taiwan from the 1990s
In the 1990s came the Second New Wave. This era of Taiwanese cinema is less serious than the New Taiwan Cinema of the 1980s, but directors still focused on portraying the culture of Taiwan in these decade of films.
Rebels of the Neon God (1992) — Also directed by Tsai Ming-liang, Rebels of the Neon God centres on the story of a taxi driver’s son (Kang-sheng Lee). He spends his time seeking revenge on two youths who vandalised his dad’s taxi. Expect dark street scenes studded with neon signs and fast-paced scooter rides.
Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) — A classic Taiwan film from Ang Lee. This comedy drama will make your stomach grumble. The film tells the story of a father and his three daughters, interweaving their separate stories at dinner table scenes. This film goes some way to show the Taiwanese love and value of food and family. Available to watch on MUBI.
Sign up to MUBI and get 1 month free. Like Netflix, but for independent and foreign films. MUBI features fantastic films, often including many great movies about Taiwan.
Best New Taiwanese Cinema from the 1980s
The 1980s was a significant filmmaking period in Taiwan. Taiwanese filmmakers set out to show the world more about Taiwan’s culture.
Terrorizers (1986) — Part of the Taiwan New Cinema is Edward Yang’s Terrorizers. This great Taiwan movie is set in the country’s capital city, Taipei. The film’s elliptical plot means you’re constantly waiting for the stories of multiple different couples to merge or connect in some way. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t and you’re sort of left wondering if you got it all by the end. Available to watch on MUBI.
The Green, Green Grass of Home (1982) — Hou Hsiao-hsien’s beautiful and serene The Green, Green Grass of Home is set in the Taiwan countryside. It depicts life in a rural Taiwanese village, focusing in on the story of a new teacher who moves from Taipei and falls in love. It’s a love story and a portrait of rural life in Taiwan. Available to watch on MUBI.
Taiwan Documentaries
Flowers of Taipei: Taiwan New Cinema (2014) —This documentary film about New Taiwanese Cinema. It highlights one of the most important cinematic movements of the 20th century. With Taiwan continuing to be under martial law in 1982, filmmakers embarked on a mission to share Taiwanese cultural identity through cinema. The documentary includes prolific filmmakers like Hou Hsiao-hsien, Wang Bing and Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Available to watch on MUBI.
MUBI is like Netflix, but for independent and foreign films. MUBI offers a 1 month free trial before you sign up. The platform has frequently featured multiple Taiwan cinema films.
What are your favourite Taiwanese movies? Share with me in the comments! I’d like to add a special thanks to Dr Song Hwee Lim who designed and taught the module I studied on Taiwan cinema at Exeter University and who sparked my love for this genre of film.
