Long Way From Home 

The 60s/70s Taiwan is like a reflection of the 80s/90s mainland China, everyone wants to go abroad to study.  This movie is about how different people choose different paths in this "studying abroad wave".  

Charlie is the diligent student Lin Wei-yang (majoring in civil engineering), who studies hard and also works part time in a Chinese restaurant.  The daughter of the restaurant's owner falls for him, played by Chen Shali.  Charlie's roommate is a total failure, who is indulged in the party, woman and can't keep up a job. Charlie's young sister Shan-shan is a spoiled girl, who also comes to US to study.  Well, guess who plays Charlie's sister?  Yeah, it is Brigitte Lin.  How can Brigitte & Charlie not play a couple but sibling?  Well, it is 1974, the second year Brigitte came into showbiz, they haven't realized this little girl will be sweeping away and become the first leading lady in the golden age of  TW romance movies yet.  

Shan-shan meets a wrong guy and quickly gets married to him since she is pregnant.  Not long that she realizes what a big mistake she's made.  Charlie has graduated and gets a job, but he decides to go back to TW when knowing his mother is sick.  Charlie and Chen Shali face the big discrepancy when Charlie wants to go back home but Chen Shali wants him to stay in US.   A promising ending where Charlie is working in a construction site in TW and Chen Shali comes back  to unite with him.  

This movie won both the director Liu Yi and Charlie the Golden Horse Awards.  It  could have been more interesting if the movie can focus more on the three leads (Charlie, Chen Shali, and Brigitte) but not the roommate whom I find both disgusting and annoying.  Although being the leading man, Charlie doesn't get a lot of screen time since the movie is trying to trace each person's fate. 

Despite of  his limited screen time, I find Charlie very likable as he is given a serious dramatic role, not his usual romance leads or comedic type of roles.  His character is righteous, sincere, intelligent, and soulful.   A few conversations between him and Chen Shali were well done, especially their poignant argument on whether to go or stay.  Interestingly, this type of argument still exists among some Chinese couples today in US, about 26 years after the movie was made.   Charlie looked quite good in blue top and jeans.  

Chen Shali also gave a nice performance.  Actually she and Charlie looked quite nice as a couple in the movie. 

Brigitte's character is a self-centered foolish spoiled kid.  Similar to many of her 1974 movies, she looked young, fresh, and unrefined.  Take a few glances at her unsophisticated beauty, you know this girl is going to take off one day to be a superstar. Yes, it didn't take long.  In 1976, Brigitte was taking over Chen Chen's status and became the top one leading lady in TW romance movies.

Although my experience of studying abroad is not quite the same as the character's in the movie, I can still relate to it a lot.  I guess all those movies about Chinese abroad become something endearing to me, because of my own homesickness.

Trivia

In this movie (1974), Chen Shali plays Charlie's girl and Brigitte plays Charlie's younger sister.  Later in "The Love Affair of Rainbow" (1977), Brigitte plays Charlie's girl and Chen Shali plays Charlie's elder sister.  Isn't it interesting?

Director: Liu Yi

Starring:  Charlie Chin, Chen Shali, Brigitte Lin

Year: 1974