I love these fly-on-the-wall movies. It feels so special experiencing someone else's world in this way, especially Edward Yang's semi-autobiographical masterpiece.

Such a beautiful and transportive portrayal of how extraordinary ordinary life can be. It's full of real characters and ideas, especially in young Yang-Yang. By the end of the journey, they feel like your friends, no different than in classic hangout films such as Before Sunset or Lebowski. I was overwhelmed.

And what is it with Asian films and their stellar child performances. Jonathan Chang is brilliant; it's so strange how this was his one-hit-wonder. Look no further than that ending.

"We are who we are: where we were born, who we were born as, how we were raised. We're kind of stuck inside that person, and the purpose of civilization and growth is to be able to reach out and empathize a little bit with other people. And for me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. It lets you understand a little bit more about different hopes, aspirations, dreams and fears. It helps us to identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us."

- Roger Ebert

Criterion Channel. Will be buying the Blu-ray.