๐น๐ผ5 Essential Taiwanese Films for Mastering Mandarin and Embracing Taiwanese Culture (Part 1) ็้ปๅฝฑๅญธ่ฏ่ช
These movies can expose you to authentic spoken Taiwanese Mandarin, including various accents, dialects, and colloquial expressions. Also they offer insights into Taiwanese culture, customs, and society. Here are my Taiwanese movie recommendations โ
1. Dear Ex ่ชฐๅ ๆไธไป็ (Shuรญ xiฤn ร i shร ng tฤ de)
่ชฐๅ ๆไธไป็, which actually means โWho loved him firstโ. It talks about a teenager becomes trapped in the middle of a bitter feud between his mother and a free-spirited man, who is both the lover and insurance beneficiary of his recently deceased father.
Why we recommend this film: This story is told from the perspective of a teenage boy. The fact that he speaks clearly makes a very good listening exercise. The mother-son relationship and dynamics are worth observing. I particularily like the actress Ying-Hsuan Hsieh. She plays an anxious mother who has a difficult time to connect with her son. She won the Best Leading Actress award at the 55th Golden Horse Awards for her role. Actually, many of my students asked me whatโs the parents-chilren relationship like in Taiwan, I highly recommend you watch it to find out.
ๆจ่ฆๅๅ ๏ผ ๅฐๅญฉ็็จ็ฝๅ่ฆ่ง๏ผ้ๅธธๅฅฝ็่ฝๅ่จ็ทด๏ผ่ฃก้ข็ๆฏๅญ้ไฟๅพๅผๅพ่งๅฏ๏ผๆ็นๅฅๅๆญก่ฃก้ข็ๆผๅก่ฌ็่ฑ๏ผ ๅฅนๆๅ็้ฃพๆผไธไฝ่ๆฅ็ๆณๆฅ่ฟๅฅนๅฐๅญฉๅปๅๅพๅ็กๅ็ๅชฝๅชฝใ่ดๅพ็ฌฌ 55 ๅฑ้้ฆฌ็ๆไฝณๅฅณไธป่งใๅฆๅค๏ผๅพๅคๅญธ็้ฝๅๆ่บ็ฃ็ถๆฏ่ทๅฐๅญฉไนๅ็้ไฟๆฏๆ้บผๆจฃ็๏ผๆ็็ๅพๆจ่ฆๅคงๅฎถ็้้จ้ปๅฝฑ๏ผไน่จฑไฝ ๆๆ็ผ็พใ
2. Your Name Engraved Herein ๅปๅจๅฟ่ฃก็ๅๅญ (kรจ zร i xฤซndว de mรญngzรฌ)
As martial law ends in 1987 in Taiwan, two male students fall in love amid family pressure, homophobia, and broader social change.
Why we recommend this film: This story explores a part of Taiwanese LGBTQ history, as well as the formative period of martial law in Taiwan. The theme song โYour Name Engraved Hereinโ by Crowd Lu is amazing, we really recommend checking out this song. Because of these reasons, Iโve selected this film as the material for a part of my Level Up Complete Program course.
ไบ่งฃๅฐ็ฃLGBTQ ๆผ่ฎๅฒใๆฉๆๆๅดๆๆ็ๅฐ็ฃๅฐๆฐไธปๆๆ็ๅฐ็ฃใไธป้กๆฒไน้ๅธธๅฅฝ่ฝ - ็งๅปฃไปฒๅฑ็๏ผๅปๅจไฝ ๅฟๅบ็ๅๅญ) ๅพๆจ่ฆใๅ ็บ้ไบๅๅ ไน่ฎๆ้ธไบ้ๅ้ปๅฝฑ็ถไฝ level up complete program ๆๆ็ไธ้จๅใ
3. Little Big Women ๅญคๅณ (gลซ wรจi)
Itโs about a woman and her 3 daughters who must perform the funeral rites of their ex-husband and father, unleashing the pain and kept secrets.
Why we recommend this film: Although this film is primarily in Taiwanese Hokkien, there is a lot to learn about the funeral culture, familial relationships, and sisterhood in Taiwan.
ๆจ่ฆๅๅ : ่ช่จไธ้็ถไปฅๅฐ่ช็บไธป๏ผไฝ้้้ปๅฝฑๅฏไปฅ็ญ่งฃ่บ็ฃๅช็ฆฎๆๅๅๅฐ็ฃๅฎถๅบญ่ฆชๅญ่ๅงๅฆน้็้ไฟใ
4. Secret ไธ่ฝ่ชช็็งๅฏ (bรนnรฉng shuล de mรฌmรฌ)
A talented piano player is a new student at the prestigious Tamkang School. On his first day, he meets a pretty girl playing a mysterious piece of music. The love story is simple, with a twist of course.
Why we recommend this film: This film is one of the early Taiwanese films that gained international attention and thus holds cultural significance in Taiwan. Jay Chou composed most of the music for this movie, and acted the lead role. The theme song (็งๅฏ) he wrote is also a popular KTV song in Taiwan.
ๆจ่ฆๅๅ ๏ผ ้้จ้ปๅฝฑๆฏๅฐ็ฃๆฉๆ็ฒๅพๅ้้ๆณจ็้ปๅฝฑไนไธ๏ผๅจๆฐๅซ็บ้้จ้ปๅฝฑไฝๆฒ๏ผๅๆไน้ฃพๆผไธป่งใไปๅฏซ็ไธป้กๆฒไนๆฏ๏ผซ๏ผด๏ผถๅธธ่ฆ็ไบบๆฐฃๆญๆฒใ
5. You Are the Apple of My Eye ้ฃไบๅนด๏ผๆๅไธ่ตท่ฟฝ็ๅฅณๅญฉ(nร xiฤ niรกn, wวmen yฤซqว zhuฤซ de nวhรกi)
้ฃไบๅนด๏ผๆๅไธ่ตท่ฟฝ็ๅฅณๅญฉ, which literally means โduring those years, the girl we chased togetherโ. It talks about a group of close friends who attend a private school all have a debilitating crush on a sunny star pupil. The only member of the group who claims not to is Ke Jingteng, but he ends up falling in love with her as well.
Why we recommend this film: I cried a little at the end of the movie. I enjoyed it so much because I felt so connected to my own high school life. Actually, this movie is a reflection of most Taiwanese people's high school life, the way it presented is a bit old-fashioned though. Due to the emphasis on campus life and friendships, the conversations are more colloquial with Taiwanese flavor. Iโve talked more about it in Mandarin within my Conversation Training Course (in the bonus session).
ๆจ่ฆๅๅ ๏ผ็้้จ้ปๅฝฑ็็ตๅฐพๆๅ๏ผๆๅญไบใๆๅพๅๆญกๅ ็บไน่ฎๆๆณๅฐๆ่ชๅทฑ็้ซไธญ็ๆดปใๅ ถๅฏฆ้้จ้ปๅฝฑ็็็ๅฏฆๅๆ ๅบๅคง้จๅๅฐ็ฃไบบ็้ซไธญ็็ๆดป๏ผ้็ถๆ้ป่ๅฅ:) ๅ ็บๅคไปฅๆ กๅ็ๆดปๆๅ็บไธป๏ผไธญๆ่ผๅฃ่ช๏ผๅจๆ่ชๅทฑ็่ชฒ็จ่ฃกๆๆๆฏ่ผ่ฉณ็ดฐ็ไป็ดนใ
ๅฅฝๅฅฝไบซๅ:) Please enjoy!
Synopses adapted from Wikipedia and IMDB.
Acknowledgment: Special thanks to Yu Shen Sun for his assistance in crafting this blog post.
