Dust in the Wind (1986)

A young couple leave their mining town home for Taipei where they struggle to eke out a living in an industrial wasteland.

Director:

Hsiao-Hsien Hou

Writers:

T'ien-wen Chu, Nien-Jen Wu

Stars:

Shu-Fang Chen, Shu-Fen Hsin, Lawrence Ko

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Shu-Fang Chen	...	(as Shufang Chen)
Shu-Fen Hsin	...	Kang So-Huen
Lawrence Ko	...	Mrs. Lin's son (as Ko Yu-Luen)
Tien-Lu Li	...	Grandpa (as Tian-Lu Li)
Ju Lin
Yang Lin
Fang Mei
Mei-Feng
Chien-wen Wang	...	Wan
Bi-yuan Yan
Li-Yin Yang	...	Ying

Storyline

A-yuan and A-yun are both from the small mining town of Jio-fen. In the city, A-yuan is an apprentice by day and goes to night school, and A-yun works as a helper at a tailors. Everyone thinks they are meant for each other, so do they. They fail to see time and fate are beyond their control.

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Plot Keywords:

part of trilogy | coal mine | taiwan | grandfather grandson relationship | conscription | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

International Film Circuit

Country:

Taiwan

Language:

Mandarin Min Nan Cantonese

Release Date:

1986 (Taiwan)

Also Known As:

Dust in the Wind

Company Credits

Production Co:

Central Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is inspired by screenwriter Wu Nien-Jen's childhood memories. It is the third installment of director Hou Hsiao-Hsien's "Coming-of-Age Trilogy" that features three prominent Taiwanese screenwriters' coming-of-age stories. The other two are A Summer at Grandpa's (1984) (inspired by the coming-of-age story of Chu Tien-wen) and A Time to Live and a Time to Die (1985) (inspired by the coming-of-age story of Hou Hsiao-Hsien, who is a screenwriter-turned-director).

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Connections

Follows A Summer at Grandpa's (1984)

User Reviews

In 1960s Taiwan, two young friends move from their small town to the city where they find new jobs & new problems.

Hsaio-hsien Hou based this quietly effective Taiwanese Bildungrsoman on co-scripter Nien-Jen Wu's own experiences. The film is heavily influenced on the one side from Japanese masters like Ozu (though Hou denies this) and from the Italian Neo-Realists whose films inspired Wu. It's the old story of the younger generation ('60s kids from a mining town) leaving the country to try their luck in the big city. A shy, but devoted couple seem to be making a go of it, but life, jobs, family and even military service take a toll on the relationship. It's well observed, especially in the rural sections, and charmingly acted, but the natural flow of events doesn't really stick with you. Hou has trouble balancing the plot strands and particularizing the relationships, asking for a response out of proportion to what we've seen. No doubt this is not a problem for Taiwanese audiences, but then Ozu & De Sica managed the trick, didn't they.