A trio of young men, bored of living in the middle of nowhere, move from their small island of Fengkuei to the port of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan to look for work. There they wander aimlessly without a clear sense of purpose, and face some harsh realities about growing up.

Considered by the director to be a personal favorite and more widely seen as his professional breakthrough, Hou Hsiao-hsien’s first mature work develops his signature slow, sensitive style. Following four young men in a transitional Taiwan, Hou’s film is an evocative remembrance of adolescence.