The 228 Incident
— a 1947 uprising of native Taiwanese against Chinese Nationalist (KMT)
authorities that came to the island after WWII — is one of Taiwan’s
most important historical events. During 228, KMT troops killed between
18,000 and 28,000 Taiwanese, ushering in a period of repression known as
the White Terror that lasted until 1987 and defined Taiwan’s political landscape.
"A
City of Sadness" is the first movie to address the 228 Incident. When
the movie came out, the KMT was still in power, and nobody had been
allowed to talk publicly about 228 for 40 years — much less make a movie
about it. [...]
Though “A City of Sadness” was the first film to ever depict 228, it
does so in a rather indirect way. The film constantly implies that
violence is happening, but never shows it in the foreground. For
example, in one scene, a character languishes in prison and his
cellmates are taken out to be shot — but the actual execution takes
place offscreen. [...]
This shows that while “A City of Sadness” highlights the different
groups that make up contemporary Taiwanese society, it also teaches us
that these groups aren’t absolutes. Just because someone’s a mainlander
doesn’t mean they can’t be horrified about 228; and just because someone
is native Taiwanese doesn’t mean they automatically support Taiwan
independence. Whatever being “Taiwanese” is, it’s much more complex.
