A Summer at Grandpa’s (冬冬的假期). 1984. Taiwan. Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. In Hokkien, Taiwanese, Mandarin; English subtitles. 35mm. 93 min.
A pioneering figure of Taiwan New Cinema, a transformative film movement that emerged in the 1980s and combined a search for Taiwanese identity with bold aesthetic breakthroughs, Hou Hsiou-hsien began his career with intimately observed films about ordinary life, exploring family bonds, coming of age, and the history of Taiwan. In A Summer at Grandpa’s, two young siblings are sent from Taipei to the countryside while their mother is hospitalized. Through a series of loosely connected vignettes, Hou captures the subtle, bittersweet shift away from childhood innocence. Utilizing his signature long takes and static, distant framing, Hou allows the rhythms of country life to unfold with profound naturalism.