Year : 2007
Director : Cheng Wen-Tang
Producer : Cheng Wen-Tang, Tsui Siu-Ming
Writer : Enno (Cheng I-Nung), Cheng Wen-Tang, Jan Fu-Wha, Lu Yi-Ching
Cast : Bryant Chang, Enno, Hannah Lin, Dean Fujioka
The Skinny : Relaxing and pleasant, if not actually that substantial. This Taiwanese youth film is pretty to look at, and has a satisfying, picturesque feel that disguises its pedestrian aims and unoriginal concepts rather well. Star-writer-director's daughter Enno is a refreshing new talent.
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Preview (and My Review):
Jimmy is a smart student with a problem: he had an affair with his teacher, but she's since called it off, leading to a continued surly attitude that distracts other students, not to mention teachers who look down on those sorts of student-teacher shenanigans. Meanwhile, Japanese exchange student Akira spends his time kicking a soccer ball into the side of a cargo container and ignoring his grades. Wendy is a model student, but has a quiet thing for Jimmy - and possibly even Akira? At the center of it all is A Yue, a fledgling indie rocker who has to stay home from school because of her weak heart - which is seemingly losing the battle to her active personality and irrepressible need to get involved in other people's business.As the summer draws on, these individuals crisscross, break-up and make-up, plus lose their virginity and go cow tipping.
This is a usual plot of a teenage movie, right? And Our movie is short kind of this.
Wrong!
This movie tells us how daily life could give more meaning for your entirely life. Life goes slowly for the students, maybe we had this feeling too once we were one.
Many incidents told elliptically and without a great deal of urgency. Given the warm, languid tone, the kids' minor march towards adulthood feels genuine and possible, if not slightly inconsequential or even boring.
A Yue practices her guitar and occasionally reads postcards from her traveling father. Jimmy slowly comes to terms with his inability to hook up with his teacher, and eventually turns his attention to someone of similar age, if not physical beauty. After getting in trouble for not studying for the fiftieth time, Akira eventually studies - with some help from his friends. Wendy realizes that Jimmy may not ever have the hots for her, but she's largely in the background, so if she suffers heartbreak, we barely even see it. And A Yue gets involved with everything, leading to the subtle awakening of her youthful, congenitally weak heart.
Another thing is this movie script occasionally slams adulthood, with kids reacting to the hypocrisy and belligerent pride of adults with wide-eyed incredulity and a righteous disbelief that simply screams, "No! Will I be this crappy when I'm an adult, too?"
Teen movie is not all about love or sex, or how teen exposed their puberty like what these days movies give us to see. And it has no special meaning for keeping away our teen generation not to act like one. Pity them!
This movie is really a heartwarming piece. I watched it incidentally at Celestial Channel when I was at home. I cry at the end the movie. And the scenes are really beautiful, you should see with your eyes. I'll guarantee, you'll like it too!
After I watched the movie, I think maybe we can make another one like this, a heartwarming movie about Indonesian Teenagers. It's really a masterpiece.
And the songs from this movie is really great too! The music really get into the summer feeling. I don't want to make this looks too much, but it is! It's a great movie!
Basically, Summer's Tail isn't a movie that you absolutely have to catch, and if you're so busy and involved with your own life, then the experience it proffered is likely not vital or important enough to demand your attention. But it's innocent, relaxing, and pleasing, and it hides its pretensions well enough that conjuring up supreme hatred for it would only reveal a person's deep-seated cynicism or bitterness. Better to not worry, be happy, and enjoy Summer's Tail for the simple little movie that it is.
And that's all the spoiler I have to tell you.
Movie trailer :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUyxZqcipC8