Hu-tieh

Che went to prison for his brother, Ren, who stabbed to death the son of Shun, the local gangster boss. While Che served three years in prison, Ren fled to Japan. When he was in Japan, Ren lived with his father, who left the family a long time ago. On his release, Che returns to the little coastal town Nanfangoa where he grew up. No sooner does Che arrive than he discovers that his father, Chang, has returned after having spent twenty years in Japan; his brother, Ren has also come back. Chang has some unfinished business with Shun. Che embarks on a journey with an ex-girlfriend who has not spoken since experiencing a certain traumatic event. They travel to the island of Lanyu where Che’s mother is buried. Che’s mother was an islander; she was never able to get over her husband leaving her. Che’s journey is a trip down memory lane. Images of his childhood, as well as long-forgotten traditional rituals that took place in his mother’s family are conjured up, and he is seized by a profound sense of loneliness. His mother appears to him in a dream, wishing him a long life. He returns to Nanfangao, where the situation has come to a head. Chang and Ren are at loggerheads with Shun’s henchmen. A gang war breaks out, claiming innocent lives. Che allows himself to be drawn into the conflict and decides to kill Shun. But before he carries out his terrible deed he must conduct a long-overdue conversation with his father.