Buddha Bless America

The second feature by Taiwan's pre-eminent scriptwriter is a wonderfully wry comedy with undertones of melancholy. In the late '60s, a remote village in southern Taiwan is chosen as the site for some US Army war games; the villagers, promised compensation for the damage to their homes and crops, are resettled in the schoolhouse while the smartest local entrepreneur builds a temporary nightclub to keeps the GIs entertained. Against the backdrop, the smartest guy in the community (played by Lin, himself a distinguished director) fights a losing battle to maintain his dignity and honour. Wise, worldly and only gently anti-American.