About the Event
Dust in the Wind 戀戀風塵 （數位修復版）
(1986, Taiwan, 113 min.)
Directed by HOU Hsiao-hsien 侯孝賢
Friday, November 6, 7:00 p.m.
In collaboration with the Taiwan Academy, ‘Taiwanese Sensibility in Texas’
The story focuses on a boy and his childhood sweetheart who accompanies him to school by train every day. After graduating from junior high school, the boy becomes an apprentice in Taipei, and the girl follows him to work there. Life in the big city is tough; nevertheless, they support and take care of each other. Later on, the boy is conscripted into the army. He does his military service on an outlying island and eagerly stays in contact with the girl by mail.
Dust in the Wind portrays young people in the 1970s, who left their hometowns to earn their
living; it develops reflections on the social circumstances of that period. The screenwriter WU Nien-jen also put his experience of first love in it. WU describes how HOU makes films, “This guy captures the environment.” Despite having scripts, HOU often makes changes or lets performers improvise according to states on the spot. Rather than relying on straightforward narration and delicate design, HOU prefers using jump cuts led by atmosphere and feelings. As screenwriter CHU says, “HOU’s charisma lies in the fact that he only shows a small part of the story on the screen. It is the life experience of the viewers that completes the film.” Though the act of giving envelopes to the boy is not shown, we can still sense the strong affection. The envelopes are marked with the girl’s name and there are 1096 pieces in total, asking the boy to write her every day. In the end, the question the boy holds in mind seems to dissolve along with the smoke from grandpa’s cigarette. All melts into winds in the surrounding mountains.
Free and open to the public.
Discounted parking available at West Lot 4. Credit card required, $6 flat rat.
