Review of Good Men, Good Women (1995) by Mattias E — 03 Oct 2010
The democratization process in Taiwan meant a lot for the development of Hou Hsiao-hsien's movies, as they thematically became more politicized and challenged the country's official history records.
Good Men Good Women is a delicate homage to victims of the White Terror of the fifties, and Hou, quite shockingly at the time, openly dares to portray socialists as idealistic heroes. With it's overlapping narratives and different time layers, Good Men Good Women also marks a sigificant stylistic change for Hou, who in the contemporary settings uses decidedly less static camera and more close-ups than usual.
Hou's intentions seem somewhat muddled, but the contrasting images might be intended to highlight the discrepansies between the times, the insecurity of the future and the legacy of past injustices.
A great watch in any case.
This review of Good Men, Good Women (1995) was written by Mattias E on 03 Oct 2010.
Good Men, Good Women has generally received positive reviews.
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