The film outlines a complete picture of the living conditions of Taiwan's middle-class families. The father's business is challenged and he meets his first love; the mother relies on spiritual practice to heal the pathological lethargy; the grandmother listens to everyone in a coma; the daughter meets the first love; the son thinks that the camera can let him see the back of things. "The Age of Independence" and "Yi Yi" avoid crowd scenes. Taiwan in the 1990s has moved beyond mass gatherings and street parties, with poor students falling in love in fast food restaurants and rich students going to teahouses. The last line of "Independence Times" is "We're going to FRIDAY for coffee". Light, shadow and sound are easy to control in such places.
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