A Taiwanese Film Review

Eternal Summer – 盛夏光年
2006 Drama 

This movie follows two friends, Yu Shou-heng (Shane/Joseph Chang) and Kang Cheng-hsing (Jonathan/Ray Chang) as they grow into adulthood. As a child, Kang Cheng-hsing was asked by his teacher to befriend troublemaker Yu Shou-heng, but what began as an obligation soon turned into true friendship. By the time they are teenagers, the two boys are inseparable, yet everything changes when a new girl, Hui-chia, comes to their school.

This film is beautiful and tragic. Like, completely, heart-breakingly tragic. I admire the movie for what it is and how well it hits your emotions, but it’s not one I could ever watch again because it hurts. Hui-chia is initially attracted to Kang Cheng-hsing, but realizes as soon as they try to get together that he is not interested in her. It was very clear to me that Kang Cheng-hsing is in love with Yu Shou-heng, but it takes Hui-chia a bit longer to connect the dots. She encourages Kang Cheng-hsing to admit his feelings, but he won’t, and eventually she meets Yu Shou-heng and falls for him.

They finish high school, but Kang Cheng-hsing is so plagued by his sexual identity and unrequited love that he does not make it into university and must spend all his time studying to retake the entrance exams. Yu Shou-heng tries to get him to come hang out, to relax and have fun, but is dating Hui-chia now and is keeping this secret from his friend in fear of losing him. Despite both men trying to keep their personal feelings secret, the truth inevitably comes out and Kang Cheng-hsing finally confesses his feelings for Yu Shou-heng, stating that he knows they cannot be friends any longer. Yu Shou-heng then makes a confession of his own: that he’s always known that Kang Cheng-hsing was forced to befriend him as a child, but was too lonely to care. His final words in the movie are, “You really are my best friend,” suggesting that he does not reciprocate Kang Cheng-hsing’s feelings but doesn’t want to lose him.

In some ways, I do believe that Yu Shou-heng has more than platonic feelings for Kang Cheng-hsing. There are moments of jealousy and comments/looks that could be interpreted as romantic affection throughout the film. But he seemingly also really loves Hui-chia, and I think more than anything else, he doesn’t want to have to choose. He doesn’t want to lose either of them. And ultimately, it is just so tragic for everyone involved.

One of the things I liked most about this movie is the cinematography. The way certain shots are framed had a big impact on how I felt while watching. There is a scene when young Yu Shou-heng is punished by having his desk outside, alone in a grassy field, and there is a close shot of his face resting on his arms. It is so intimate and quiet that the image stayed with me throughout the film, especially as Yu Shou-heng grows up. There’s another part when the boys are riding a bike home from school and the scene is filmed from above but slightly off-balance as it follows their route. There just seemed to be a lot of powerful artistry in the filming of this movie which I loved.