Un été chez grand-père

It seems like most great directors take out time to make at least one film which focuses on the lives of children. *Pather Panchali* did it for Satyajit Ray, *Amarcord* for Fellini, *Where Is the Friend's House?* for Abbas Kiarostami. *A Summer at Grandpa's* seems to be Hou Hsiao-hsien's entry into this genre and it fits in with those other great films perfectly. Having just recently seen 6 other Hou films in a retrospective, this one does seem to be least like the others in terms of having a coherent narrative and fewer distancing effects. However, this IS like the others in terms of Hou's focus on everyday life, on how people live their lives during the periods when hugely dramatic things aren't happening. From shots like the one of discarded sunflower seeds on a train to the shot of a turtle trying to avoid a toy truck, this is a film about the little things in life from a child's perspective. What's so amazing about the film is that, while portraying small, every-day events, more profound issues about family and death are dealt with in such a complex and subtle way. The basic premise of the film (without giving away too much) is that two children go to their grandfather's house to live for the summer while their mother is sick in the hospital. Clearly the absence of Ting-Ting and Tung-Tung's mother is deeply traumatic for both. But, Hou gets at this sorrow and confusion without ever simply stating it. The best example of this is the relationship between Tung-Tung and a mentally retarded woman which is one of the most affecting and beautiful relationships I've seen on film (and it's all done without a word of dialogue). This is a hard film to find in the U.S. But, if you ever have the opportunity to see *A Summer at Grandpa's*, do see it. You'll get to experience one of the most deeply moving films about childhood that is out there.

When their mother is forced to stay in the hospital for a prolonged period of time, Ting-Ting (a four year old girl) and Tung-Tung (an eleven year old boy) are taken by their uncle to spend the summer with their grandfather, a doctor in a small, rural town. There are some cliches in the film. The strict, imposing grandfather who at first doesn't seem to like the kids (I saw this just last week in Ford's Wee Willie Winkie) and the crazy lady who later saves one of the children's lives come quickly to mind. A scene where Ting-Ting gives her stuffed animal to a recovering patient of her grandfather's made me cringe a bit. But other than that, it's a rather wonderful movie. The two children in particular are fantastic. When Tung-Tung first meets up with local children, they have a battle between his remote control car and another boy's pet turtle (probably not the best scene to watch if you're a member of PETA, however). In another scene, the boys race their turtles. And there are more. The uncle, kind of the black sheep of the family, has a good subplot, as well. Edward Yang, the director of Yi Yi, has a small role as the children's father. It's too bad this of all of Hou's movies is unavailable. I only liked Flowers of Shanghai better. 8/10.

I'm not a fan of Hou's later work, which can be obscure, pretentious and painfully slow, but this early movie of him from 1984 is gripping in its simplicity. One summer in Taiwan, a young boy and his sister are sent to the country home of their grandparents, as their mother has been hospitalized. The movie is told from the children's point of view, and nothing terribly important happens in much of it, just life passing by during one summer in a rural village in Taiwan. The boy interact with the other children in the picturesque mountain village, while her younger sister, who is unable to understand what has happened to her mother, mostly stays at home of their grandparents. What is best about the movie is the warm portrayal of the characters, especially the grandfather, a stern doctor.

Tung-Tung and his 4-year old sister (Sun Cheeng-Lee) spend the summer in the country with their grandparents when their mother is hospitalized due to a gall bladder problem. Told from the point of view of 11-year old Tung-Tung (Wang Chi-Kwang), Hou Hsiao-hsien's Summer at Grandpa's is a sublime meditation on growing up and its inevitable loss of innocence. Hou shows how the children try to insulate themselves from the outside world but can never quite escape it, being compelled to include adult events in their life of which they have little comprehension. Ting-Ting writes beautiful letters to his parents that show a delicate sensitivity but also a lack of understanding of what the adults around him are up to.

In typical Hou fashion, each character has strong points and weaknesses. The grandfather (Koo Chuen), a doctor, is loving but also harshly judgmental, forbidding the children's uncle to marry his girlfriend, and the uncle shows an immaturity that belies his age. The children also are complex characters whose reactions reflect their inability to express their feelings. For example, when the boys go swimming without her, Tung-Tung lashes out by taking their clothes and floating them down the river. One of Hou's most accessible works and one of his warmest, Summer at Grandpa's contains a hint of melodrama, but it is balanced with Hou's typical sense of the natural rhythm and flow of life.

A master piece from director Hou Hsiao-Shien.

Although a different culture, somehow it brought back memories of childhood.

If u are reading this i would suggest you to watch it.

All the best!!