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Watching this again in all its restored glory on the big screen, my appreciation of the film has increased exponentially. With its massive ensemble of characters, the film has the richness of an epic novel. What impressed me most was how Yang was able to present a fully fleshed out society including the political atmosphere and culture of the times in a way that very few films I’ve seen can do. Like Hou’s A Time to Live and a Time to Die, it shows youths who seek a sense of belonging by joining violent street gangs. The film’s Chinese title refers to the historical juvenile homicide incident it is based on. While the burst of violence at the end of Yang’s Yi Yi may feel gratuitous, here the act of violence is all but inevitable under the forces of family, society, and history.

There is a certain feeling that one feels when watching an Edward Yang film. It’s a mixture of both sadness and joy. The sadness stems from knowing Yang’s short lived career has only given us eight films, but the joy kicks in when you realize these are eight of the greatest films in existence. Of the three Yang films I’ve seen prior to A Brighter Summer Day, Yi Yi, is my favorite. Yang’s capabilities of bring life to his characters, to keep his audience on edge sans typical suspense film tropes. We are the voyeur, and we’re watching Yang’s world.

A Brighter Summer Day is nothing short of brilliant. While Yang’s films always feel personal, as if he’s emotionally connected in some way to his characters, Summer Day feels like his most personal. Following Xiao Si’r felt as if I was following an older version of Yang (granted with a brighter future.) In addition to the self inflicted problems of Xiao Si’r, we’re allowed a glimpse into his family during a tumultuous time. And throughout the 237 minute run time, nothing is ever clear until you’ve finished it. Names are said, but you never really know who is who. I didn’t figure out one character’s name until three hours in (Cat), and not at the detriment of the film. In actuality, it makes me want to go back and watch it again. (I’ll wait for the newly renovated World Cinema Foundation restoration.)

As usual, I daren’t delve deeper into the story, because I hate ruining things for people, but this is a film that can’t be missed.

I finally saw this film last years as part of Cinematheque Ontario’s Edward Yang complete retrospective and it was one of the greatest film experiences I’ve had. For a film of this length I was completely captivated throughout, and when they paused for an intermission at the halfway point, I didn’t want to leave my seat for fear of missing a single second of the story.

Having seen Edward Yang’s complete filmography and being a huge fan of his work, between Yi Yi and A Brighter Summer Day alone, he cemented his place in film history.