Ah Fei
dir. Wan Jen · 1983
Being alive involves navigating the tension between traditional values and the pressures of modern life.
"Ah Fei" intricately weaves the emotional tapestry of a rapidly modernizing Taiwan, where the struggles of women clash with traditional identities. This poignant drama invites viewers to reflect on the bittersweet nostalgia for a past that is slipping away, all while capturing the vibrancy and tension of a society in flux.
The startling contrast between old and new Taiwan is the subject of Wan Jen's epic of traditional identities coming into conflict with an urban life, emphasizing the situation of women.
Full synopsisspoilers
Ah-fei's mother, Hsin-chin, comes from a well off family headed by a doctor. Hsin-chin's marriage to a young engineer is not a happy one. Her circumstances change for the worse, and she can no longer count on her philandering husband to be the breadwinner. Her own family's fortunes have also declined with the death of her father.
She is forced to pawn off her dowry to make ends meet. After paying off a bribe to some young men because her husband had had an affair with a married woman, Hsin-chin begins to asert herself as a matriarch. The family moves to Taipei where Ah-fei grows up and begins to show progress in her studies. Her father has changed into a meek and humble person, while her mother wields all the power.
Ah-fei, being the daughter, is not favored by her mother, who looks more to her son. Thus Ah-fei must fight to convince her mother to let her go to a better school.
