The film follows the life of SU’s grandfather, Teymu Teylong, a famous hunter in Ciyakang village, Hualien, who has lived through Japanese rule, as he farms and hunts in the mountains. On some days, he would chant for young fallen souls lying in the village graveyard; on others, he would offer sacrifices to ancestral spirits before going on a hunt. His daily routines are contrasted with footage of Indigenous peoples in the past who were “civilized” by different colonizers. The images and old Indigenous tunes constantly remind us of the peoples’ plight created by the country’s policies.

Depicting the unique tranquility of the landscape and life in its purest form, The Mountain (2015), shot on 16mm, tells the simple story of an old man and the mountain. The film also echoes the Indigenous movement today, highlighting their fight for survival as they call for rectification of their ancestral names. SU builds up a sense of alienation through the contrast of images to emphasize Indigenous culture as manifested in daily life, not something to be reduced to a government propaganda tool.

Available Formats: DVD, Blu-ray and DCP