As a means of receiving a deeper and personal understanding of the repercussions of historic events, filmmaking can provide an important tool, especially since the visual landscape of cinema can explore deeper meanings and hidden layers of an incident. After the end of martial law, Taiwanese cinema has seen its fair share of influential directors, not only for their talent and their skill at visual storytelling, but also through their approach to their nation’s history, which is evident in the works of Hou Hsiao-hsien, Ang Lee and Edward Yang, who have managed to portray the past as well as its implications on the present.
March: the Southern South is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
In his short feature “March: the Southern South” director Li Shang Chiao has chosen a very similar approach, telling a story about a young student who joins the Kaohsiung Provincial High School Self-Defense Force, a group which opposed the Nationalist Army and which was involved in the 228 incident, resulting in a bloody massacre among the students. The story is told in retrospect, from the perspective of Chie, a photographer, who has been living in the USA for many years and now returns to her home country of Taiwan. She recalls the story of her sister Long-ha (Lin Yuto) and her boyfriend Kong-sui (Chen Ting-chung), their romance and their love, which was short-lived after the latter decided to join the aforementioned union of his peers, fighting the Nationalist Army.
According to the director’s statement on the aim of the feature, the story wants to shed some light on an event which is seldom talked about and which has been covered up. The search for identity, which is at the core of “March: the Southern South”, is both personal and general, as Chie’s tale uncovers her own memories and how they defined her, as well as a decisive moment in Taiwan’s history. One of the greatest assets in telling that story and its two aspects are the performances by the lead actors, emphasizing the fleeting moments of their romance, already overshadowed by events which are far bigger than them and thus out of their control.
However, the feature excels as an example of visual storytelling, given its cinematography and editing. With a Taiwanese folk song defining the rhythm and mood, the overall structure is quite poetic, highlighting the dream-like beauty of the Taiwanese countryside as a backdrop to teenage love, while also emphasizing the turmoils of conflict and loss.
In conclusion, “March: the Southern South” is a visually beautiful short feature with a good cast. Li Shang Chiao relies on images and the ensemble to tell a story about a defining moment in Taiwanese history, and manages to make a profound statement about loss and conflict.
