warriors of the rainbow

I watched 賽德克。巴萊 (Seediq Bale: Warriors of the Rainbow) yesterday, and still I am affected by it (I'm listening to the soundtrack non-stop now as I work!). The full-length movie, stretching over four hours (there is an international cut, two hours) was an incredibly moving experience. It is a tragic story, spun together in a hauntingly beautiful way by an amazing cast and crew, about a people who fought with unprecedented spirit to save what was theirs.

This kind of story is something that is seen in many movies, an indigenous people fighting off invaders, but this was based closely on true events, and tells the tale of a people who are not well-known in the rest of the world. The aboriginal people of Taiwan, who make up a mere 1% of the current population of the island. Specifically the Seediq Bale, one of 14 recognized tribes in Taiwan. 


Stories like this were hidden in the folds of history by the Japanese while they were the colonial power in Taiwan, and to see this tale brought to the surface and shared with the rest of the world makes me both happy and proud. It is Taiwan's biggest film project to date, and has won numerous prestigious film awards around the world. 

For a long time now, I've taken a special interest in the cultures of indigenous peoples (specifically Native Americans and Taiwanese aboriginals), so when I heard of this movie whilst it was still in production over a year ago, I was positively shaking with anticipation. I've waited a full year to finally watch it (I couldn't watch it initially because of the fact that it features Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese and Seediq and I needed English subtitles.. heh).

It was so, so worth the wait.