Starry Starry Night (2011) d. Lin, Tom (Taiwan)
This adaptation of Jimmy Liao’s children’s book casts a glowing spell with its astonishing visual imagery grounded by a achingly human story of a young girl (Xu Jiao) awakening to Life’s harsh emotional truths: Loved ones die, parents don’t love each other forever, friends can be cruel, and sins go unpunished. Yet within this trauma-filled landscape, there is beauty and wonder and love, which our heroine discovers through her friendship with a new school classmate (Hui Ming Lin), an introverted young artist. Together, the two brave mocking peers and familial disquiet in a quiet and sincere exploration of youth and romance, finding the pieces that fit our puzzling human lives.
