December 11, 2014
A Summer at Grandpa’s
– Taiwan, 1984
Ah, a cinematic trip to Grandfather’s house. What else could
be better for young children? After all, what kid wouldn’t want to spend their
summer vacation frolicking in the countryside far away from the hustle and
bustle of the big city and its never-ending barrage of illumination, clamor,
and technology? The answer to this rhetorical
question is of course most children, but the grandparents in these movies have
nothing to fear. By time the credits start rolling, the child in question will
no doubt utter those predictable sentiments, “This was the best summer of my
life!” Such a remarkable turnaround is often accompanied by a second epiphany, “My
grandparents aren’t that bad after all.” This is the script that most films with
set-ups similar to that of Hsiao-Hsien Hou’s A Summer at Grandpa’s follow, yet Hou is not content to stick with
the formula.
A Summer at Grandpa’s
is about two young children, Tung-Tung (Chi-Kuang Wang) and Ting-Ting (Shu-chen
Li), who are sent to spend some time with their grandparents in southern
Taiwan. The script for films of this sort calls for these two youngsters to be
deviants, but here they are simply regular kids coping with complex emotions and
occasion bouts of insensitivity. In the film’s opening scene, we watch as their
mother dispenses a series of instructions for them, and instead of rolling
their eyes or protesting, they listen intently and nod to show that they
understand and will try to comply. Curiously, the instructions continue for
some time, and the scene becomes slightly uncomfortable to watch. There is a
reason for this – the children’s mother is in the hospital and clearly afraid
that she may be speaking to her children face to face for the last time. The children
cannot know this of course, but the tone of their mother’s voice seems to
relate to them the gravity of the moment if not the reasons behind it.
And so off to the countryside the children go. They are escorted
by their somewhat immature uncle, who doesn’t seem to grasp the severity of his
sister’s condition and whose own immaturity causes him nothing but trouble
later on. He is the kind of likeable character who somehow always finds a way
to make a bad situation unintentionally worse; however, Hou has a degree of
empathy for the character, as if he understands the code that he lives by and
the unfortunate thought process that precedes the actions he takes.
As one would expect, the countryside is outwardly beautiful,
with its lush, green landscapes, stunning views of nature, and idyllic country
life, and for a moment, Hou lulls us into a false sense of security, into an
outdated and stereotypical way of thinking about secluded areas such as this. It
helps that the children make friends almost immediately and that they feel no
sense of danger after a mix-up at a train station. In fact, what takes place
reinforces the notion that the countryside is an area replete with security and
community.
Over the course of the summer, however, the siblings will
have to cope with the specter of death; the existence of violence, greed, and sexual
assault; and the fear and irrationality that can come when one’s future
security seems uncertain. Not all of these things are obvious to the two
children, but there is no doubt that they affect their interactions with the
adults around them. The film has lighter moments of course. One particularly
memorable one involves a trip to the river and a minor act of revenge that
brought a smile to my face. I also admired the way the film often explains a
character through the children’s limited viewpoints and then shatters these
notions completely. Childhood can be like that.
It is not always easy to balance scenes that draw on the
innocence of childhood with ones with more serious content, and many films have
faltered as a result of a director’s inability to find the right balance. Hou,
for the most part, succeeds. He does this partly by presenting events from two
points of view. First, Hou presents things from the children’s perspective. We see
their joy and hear their wonderful interactions, while also observing their reactions
when society’s darker elements come into view. In one frightening moment, we
watch as a group of children come across a crime in progress, and we see the
shock and fear on their faces. Clearly, they are not used to seeing such
things. Simultaneously, Hou allows us to see events through the eyes of the adults,
most often the grandparents, who provide the film’s somewhat imperfect moral
compass. These characters are not always right, and in several key moments,
their words only add to other people’s hurt and pain; however, they deliver the
kind of messages that their two grandchildren will reflect back on in time and
understand the importance of. It is a reminder that the right message can be
delivered by people who make their fair share of mistakes.
A Summer at Grandpa’s
is a rather remarkable accomplishment. It is a film filled with memorable
moments and realistic, sympathetic characters. It is of course not these
characters’ entire story, but that is acceptable. We see enough of their lives
for us to feel confident that they are on their way to the next stage of their
lives somewhat wiser and much more prepared for whatever life has in store for
them. In truth, this is one of my favorite kinds of films, and A Summer at Grandpa’s is one of the
favorites of Mr. Hou’s many splendid creations. (on DVD in Region 3)
4 stars
*A Summer at Grandpa’s
is in Taiwanese and Mandarin with English subtitles.
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