Dust in the Wind  /  Son's Big Doll

Lien lien feng ch'en

The tender love between rural sweethearts Wan and Huen is sorely tested when the pair attempts to make a life in the city—an experience of alienation and disillusionment—and Wan finally faces compulsory military conscription.  A universal story of lost love, the film constructs a poignant urban/rural dichotomy that informs much of director Hou Hsiao-hsien's work, and spellbindingly posits (and then withdraws) the elusive possibility of going home again.     

Producer: Chang Hua-K'un, Li Hsien-Ch'ang.  Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien.  Screenwriter: Wu Nien-Jen, Chu Tien-wen.  Cinematography: Mark Lee (Ping-bin).  Editor: Liao Ching-sung.  Cast: Wang Ching-wen, Hsin Shu-fen, Li Tien-lu, Chen Shu-fang, Lin Yang.  35mm, color, in Mandarin and Taiwanese with English subtitles, 110 min.