Yang’s artistry evokes the sensation that you aren’t just observing these events unfold, but that you’re watching them through his eyes – as if the filmmaker was a ghost observing these characters.

Here, Yang has erected a temporal experience, a completely immersive world that few artists in any medium could ever hope to do. If you love cinema, you'll love this movie. That's a promise.

A Brighter Summer Day's extended running time pays off: Si'r's spiral towards tragedy never stretches credibility, because Yang takes the time to let it realistically occur, showing us each factor that contributes to his slow transformation.

Its melodrama likewise comes wrapped in a firm directorial control that eschews outward flamboyance, yet holds the viewer in its empathetic grip.